My Life, Your Joy, My Princess
by ASDFers
Summary: He was a Servant, prepared to do anything she wanted. She was a Princess, with everything but the heart of the man she loved. Inevitably, her selfish desire drove him to destroy the thing they cherished most: Each other's smiles.
1. Destiny Divided

This is the first piece of dedicated writing for a long time (with a lot to wish for...I think it's just too dry, but hopefully it'll get better as it progresses and I get my cogs moving again...). This is a Servant of Evil retelling, spanning a wee bit before and (possibly) after the events of the Vocaloid movie.

This disclaimer will ONLY be said here and now; the ASDFers do NOT own Vocaloid nor any associated programs. The mighty Yamaha Corporation does.

Please enjoy the read and review please!

* * *

**I am Your Servant  
**

**Chapter 1  
**

_Written by Shyion_

It was a cold morning.

Deep in an evergreen forest, a young man sleeps alone, a small fire simmering bright red nearby, while a small pack and sheathed sword lay next to him. Wrapped in a dark grey cloak and hood, his sleep was deep and untroubled, a small smile on his face as he dreamt.

Soon, rays of sunlight penetrated through the canopy, its beams forming almost solid pillars reaching from the ground up to the sky, heralding a new day.

The forest quickly became alive with noise, the chirruping of birds soon filling the air, waking the sleeping man. His eyes opened, revealing emerald-blue eyes. He sat up, and surveyed his surroundings slowly, drinking in the golden rays of light like sweet honey, his hood falling to reveal hair, tied to a short ponytail behind him, as gold and as bright as the light that surrounded him.

Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a small half loaf of bread and cheese, tearing slowly at his meager breakfast with his right hand. With his left, he pulled out a round bronze locket no bigger than his hand. Pressing its lid slightly, it opened to reveal a small clock, its clockworks ticking dutifully. Smiling gently as he chewed, he twisted the join of the two hands to the clock face gently as a small click could be heard, and an even smaller pendant tumbled out of a compartment in the back.

The pendant was heavily laden with dirt and grime, but its barely-noticeable engravings boasted of a higher, far more magnificent history. Twisting a small knob at the top, the young man opened the locket, revealing a single picture; a girl of evident noble descent. He smiled, as his mind drifted into the past, as he had done often in the past, trying to remember a childhood as memorable as the time in a mother's womb.

* * *

Plunging into the cold water, senses going into shock at entry, feet and hands wrapped immediately in the unforgiving current of water.

Pulling his head up, a young boy raised his head above the waterline, the storm above still going strong. Distant already, a Cliffside with the remains of a rope bridge hanging limply, the strings frayed evidently from being cut. A flurry of motion, as a black, cloaked figure ran away over the cliff.

A single yell could be heard from the shore, a light shining through the storm. The boy turned, and saw a figure racing on horseback next to him on the riverside. A voice lost in the storm, but an outstretched hand from the figure the only message needed by the boy.

Reaching out, his short and small hand towards this strange figure's outstretched hand. But even so close, he missed, the water of the river hissing as it pulled him under, refusing to let go of it's prey. Even so, the boy pulled himself up again, challenging the watery snake coiling around him, reaching out again for the man's hand. But again he was pulled under, and again he tried. Insurmountable times he tried, his strength quickly diminishing, the river sapping his strength with both its cold touch, and its iron grip. Finally, a hold, the boy's arm and hand locked on by the riding figure on the shore, its own steel-strong grip a comfort against the river and its violent waves. A shout again, but the voice still lost in the din. Yet slowly, surely, the boy was being pulled towards the shore, out of the cold river, and out of harm's way.

But the river, as persistent as a ravernous wolf having sighted on its prey, had one last trick to throw.

In an instant, out of the dark storm and river, rose a tumbled trunk that blocked the path on the shore for the man, and stood as the final card the river had to play, blocking the path of the boy. But caught up so, challenging the river, that neither noticed, until it was too late.

A sickening thud, a screeching neigh, the wet slip of hands unlocking, and the boy was gone down the river, his vision fading quickly as the river carried him away, its prey finally in its grasp.

Yet above it all, one thing remained clear above all else; a final scream that rose above the din of it all:

"My Prince!"

* * *

He screamed as he woke up, remembering snippets of a time that seemed like centuries ago, a young boy sitting bolt-upright in a woollen bed, alone in a room with a single fireplace for light, a table with two chairs sitting humbly in the room on the far side. Next to it, a window to the world, yet shrouded in black night.

The door opened suddenly, the sound of it slamming against the wall enough to sedate his screams, as a young woman ran into the room.

She wore a shin-length, plain black dress with dark yellow boots, accompanied by bright pink hair reaching down to her thighs, her figure illuminated by the bright light of the crackling fireplace.

"You…" she began, staring at the boy in the bed, seeing his sitting on the bed upright., tears lining her eyes. "You're alive!" She stepped forward slowly towards him and the bedside, as the boy looked at her in shocked puzzlement, wondering who this woman was.

"Who...are you?" He stuttered, his jaw stiff from lack of use.

She knelt down at the bedside, looking at his face intently, small tears dropping slowly down her face.

"Len..." She whispered. "Len, do you not remember?" Her words choked with slowly intensifying sobs. She slowly stretched out a hand towards him, towards his face, stroking his cheek and then his head, wrapped in white linen.

"You...look familiar..." the boy replied hesitantly, recoiling slightly from her touch, but soon recovering as her hand touched his head, calming him down as a bubble of memory about this woman attempted to surface through a quagmire of black and blank memories. "But no...I cannot remember anything, I'm sorry..."

She stared at him for a time, before collapsing on the bedside, her sobs drowning out all other sound in the room. The boy sat on the bed, unsure and uncertain of himself and his surroundings, his memory blank except for those few terrifying moments deep within the river that he had fought against.

But at this time, he realised across his neck, laid a gold pendant upon a steel chain. Using his left hand, he grasped it slowly and took it off to admire it.

Circular in shape, and no bigger than his boyish palm, he looked on in amazement at its splendour. It's engraving reminiscent to that of an entwined forest of vines and leaves, it glimmered in the light of the fire, reflecting off a single knob at its obvious apex.

Slowly, with his right hand, he twisted the knob gently, the pendant popped open with a soft click, and on its own, began to open, revealing a single picture of a girl, no older than he himself, smiling up back at him inanimately.

He stared at the locket, and the picture of the girl that stared up at him happily, lost in amazement and wonderment, his brain now filling with questions, and his mind reeling from its immense implications.

'_Who am I?_' he wondered. '_What am I doing here? Who is this woman next to me? Why is this pendant, so expensive and regal, in my possession? And why, or rather, who, is this girl in the pendant, that I seem to hold so dearly?_'

As he sat and questioned himself, the woman by his bedside recovered quickly, placing a hand over the locket, looking up at him as he did to her.

"Who...am I?" He asked, quietly.

"Len Kagami..." She began, but cut off her sentence. "Len Kagami." She said, repeating it as if to reassure both of them of this boy's name. "I found you washed ashore by the river not far from here, and I took you here to this inn to care for you."

"Why can I...not remember...anything?" Len asked, taking this opportunity to learn more about himself.

"It is what we call Amnesia." The pink-haired lady answered. "It is a lack of memory due to being hit hard on the head. When I found you, it looked like you had taken a hard hit on the head by something on the river, a tree or a rock perhaps. It is no wonder that you cannot remember anything, and a wonder again that you are actually alive!" She forced a smile, tears still pouring down her face.

"And...who...is this?" Len asked again, considering her answer for a brief moment.

"I do not know." The woman answered, a bit too quickly. "I only found that pendant on you when I found you washed on the shore."

He stared at her hand, which laid on both his and the pendant that he held, wondering even more now about who this girl was.

"What...is your name?" Len finished finally.

"Luka..." She said, her smile this time much more natural. "Luka Megurine."

As she smiled, her unexpected joy spread to the boy, he too smiling at this woman, whom he had just met, felt that he had known her from his earliest days. And as the warmth of joy spread, the crackling flames spread over two yellow tabards bearing the symbol of the Yellow Kingdom.

* * *

11/10/09

Yea, I know, his name is Len Kagami**NE**, but for storyline purposes, his name [for now!] has been altered to Len Kagami. Hohohoho~~~ (Although most of the time he will just be referred to 'Len', so not too much confusion over there...hopefully)


	2. Dividing the Indivisible

Heya! Back with another chapter! This one is slightly longer [and hopefully better... but who knows xD] than the last one.

Well, please enjoy, and review!

* * *

**Chapter II**:

**Dividing the Indivisible  
**

_Written by Shyion_

Within the depths of a Yellow and Black palace, a court gathering was to be held. Within a sealed, cylindrical room with a dome at its apex, the room was solid except for a single grand door to lead to the outside world. It was a plain room, but for the standards of this castle, it was already far more than what a normal person can buy in his or her lifetime.

Tapestries from a myriad of ages and centuries, paintings from an equally diverse range adorn the walls, hung up in between solid pillars that spaced the room at regular intervals, until 12 circled the room in its entirety. And double the number of guards, clad in cold steel and armed with even colder weapons, stood waiting for the slightest hint of disturbance. And at the room's centre, stood a horseshoe-shaped table, enough to sit 15 people, with a raised pedestal at the centre of the horseshoe table, and an even higher pedestal at its head, this adorned with a throne as regal as the sun.

At this time, the round room was silent as the circle of seated courtesans watched the convicted man at the centre, standing on the pedestal proudly for what he had done.

Clad in a simple red shirt, with a shell armour covering his right arm, and black pants with red trimming. Bound with chains by the hands, he stood defiantly, returning the courtesan's stares, while two fully-armoured guards wielding halberds stood by his side.

"Enough of this." A young lady's voice called out across the room.

She sat on the throne that adorned the pedestal, she herself adorned with a regal gown that reached even further past her feet. Adorned with black trimming and frills, and a bright sparkling yellow cloth to match her equally radiant flaxen hair, she was undoubtedly the ruler of this castle, and of the 15 men that sat at the table.

"I'll just keep this simple for now." She continued, slanting her head lazily to the right. "For crimes against both Crown, and Country that you now rightfully belong to, I sentence you to a Public Death, via the Guillotine. The time will be during the Lunch hour of the peasants, so many will be able to see his death." Then, grinning devilishly, as would a young child torture a trapped insect in innocent glee, she continued. "But only you and your head, will be made an example of. Your surviving accomplices, as punishment, will be forced into slavery, to serve as a living memory of what happens to those that defy the Kingdom of Yellow, and its Queen. Take him away." She waved her free hand nonchalantly at this, watching the guards drag the man out from the chambers, his face in dismay at hearing the fate of his comrades. And as the door closed shut, its creaks slowly became ominous sobs, cut from the room only as they slammed shut.

"Let this serve as a lesson for would-be rebellions." She declared to the courtesans in the room. "That such acts will result in both Public Deaths to keep the peasantry in line, and forced slavery to serve as a reminder, and both to make sure that they are to be kept fearful of our rule. Minister." She added at the end, addressing a purple-haired man standing next to the pedestal on her left. "Does that conclude this session?"

"My lady." The man stood up tall, his head reaching the armrest of the pedestal's throne. Clad in a white robe with yellow trimming and a bright yellow breastplate, adorned with a black Yin and Yang sign upon his chest, his status rang out, obvious to the men in the room. His hair, a deep shade of purple, was divided up into 3 separate ponytails, the longest reaching down to his thighs. At his side, hung a long sheathed sword, obviously for both ornamental purposes, as well as practical purposes by his posture.

He opened a small scroll that he kept by his waist, reading it briefly before stating; "That would be the last due in for today."

"Excellent." The young lady said. "Now, you may all be dismissed." She said, sitting up and waving her hand. At this, the men around the table stood up and filed out of the room calmly. By the end, only she and her minister stood in the room, accompanied by her guard company.

"Minister." She spoke. "What time is it now?"

"My lady, the time now is three o'clock in the afternoon." He responded automatically, already aware that this question was to come.

"Ah, it's time for tea." The young princess replied. "I will have it served here, Minister."

"As you wish, my lady." He flourished a bow, before leaving quickly through the doors, in the direction of the kitchen, murmuring to himself in an attempt to remember what would be for today's tea.

The young lady sighed, her right hand drifting towards a golden, engraved pendant around her neck. She fondled it for a few moments, feeling the deep engravings and immersing herself into memories that only she, and one other, can access.

* * *

Brother had left already.

A little girl stood atop the battlement's of a castle, looking over the land. She wore a yellow dress that reached to her feet, her face still young an innocent, her hair reaching shoulder length. She sighed quietly as she watched the horizon, the sleepy sun already quite high above it, showering the landscape with its radiance. The girl closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh morning smell.

"Princess." A voice said from behind her, as a young man stepped up to the top of the tower.

"Minister." She replied simply, turning around to face him, smiling.

The young man was clad in a yellow robe that reached his ankles with black trimming, accompanied by a bright yellow shoulder shell armour, adorned with a yellow dragon. His hair, a shade of purple that was even more striking within the radiance of the sun, was kept in a single ponytail that reached as far as his lower back. At his waist was a gold-enameled belt, accompanied by a brown button-pouch.

"The Prince had left early in the morning to continue with his riding lessons, and to see more of the countryside." The man said, as walked up next to the girl, her gaze following his steps. They then both, turned to watch the horizon and the rising sun.

"I do not know why is he fascinated by them." The girl said in reply.

"It is perhaps a difficult question to answer." The man replied. "But as Crown Prince, he will need to know the people around here very well, if he is to rule properly."

"I know, I know." The girl sighed. "But I just wish he would let me accompany him; I feel so lonely here."

The man smiled gently at the girl, kneeling down before her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I think it's just that he feels that this is a burden that he must carry alone." He said to her. "Not something that he should trouble his cute sibling, my Princess."

"Well, I'd better have a good talk with him about that when he gets back then." The girl muttered, pouting.

The man laughed at this, before exclaiming. "Ah, I just remembered." He stood up, reaching into a brown pouch wrapped at his waist, and pulling out a small gold pendant. "The Prince had asked for this to be made specifically for the both of you; pendants as identical as that of a mirrored image." He smiled, as he handed the pendant to her. "He himself is keeping one, and he had ordered for this to be given to you, Princess."

The girl gazed at it, amazed by its beauty as she traced the intricate engraving with her finger. "It's so pretty!"

"You can open it, Princess." The man said, smiling at her. "Just twist the knob at the top there." He pointed to the small twist at the pendant's apex. "And it'll open. Have a look!"

"Okay, Gakupo." She said, smiling as she did. And with a soft click, the pendant opened to reveal a single picture on one side, a picture of a young boy dressed formally. "It's brother!"

Gakupo laughed gently, "Yes, it is your brother, Princess. He has an identical pendant, so if you happen to miss each other, then you can always identify each other with this pendant, and the image within." He smiled gently at this. "Hopefully, that need not happen though."

The gentle tolling of the bell signalled the eighth hour of the morning, its melodic tone ringing out across the city of Yellow and Black. Gakupo turned to the clock tower, and watched it for as long as the bells rang out. And as it diminished, he turned back to the young girl again.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but we must be off now." He held out a hand to her. "Your morning lessons await you too, as do your brother's lessons in horseriding."

"Aww..." the Princess pouted again at this, but she held out her hand to Gakupo, who took it gently in his own hand. "Do I have to?"

"Look at your brother's example, my Princess." The young man said gently to her. "He woke up earlier than you did so that he could begin his lessons early." He started walking to the battlement's entrance, pulling her gently along with him. She followed, sighing before doing so.

* * *

It was raining heavily.

The storm battered the castle, bright thunder cracking across the gilded windows, the rain pattering against it endlessly and constantly.

"Brother has yet to return..." The young girl said, staring out of the window of her room. Another crack of lightning echoed through, the girl yelping in fear, before diving for the bedcovers.

"I'm scared..." She whimpered. "Brother...Please come home soon..." She clutched the pendant around her neck with all her might, as she lay under the bedcovers for a time. But soon, she heard a commotion within the corridors outside of her room. Curious, she stood up on the bed, straining harder to listen.

"What happened?" A muffled voice could be heard through the solid hardwood doors and the din of the storm outside.

"I do not know sir!" Another voice replied over the din. "We are getting reports..." The remainder drowned by another bolt of lightning.

Curious, the young girl approached the door, pushing at it so that it would only open a slight crack. And through this crack, she saw a squadron of soldiers, Gakupo, and her father.

"What happened man?" Gakupo was shouting at the squadron leader. "What happened to the Prince!?"

'_Brother?_' The girl instantly dreaded what was happening. '_What happened to Brother?_'

"We only know fractured information via our information network." The squadron leader shouted in reply. "All we know is that there has been an accident along the Prince's route across the country on his return home. Apparently a bridge along the Prince's route has collapsed, but some of our sources say that the bridge has been sabotaged beforehand, so that anyone travelling across it would immediately cause it to break!"

"As far as we know, Minister," another soldier continued, "that the Prince had collapsed the bridge when he rode over it, on the way back to the castle!"

'_Brother!_' The young girl listening behind the door began to tremble, before pushing open the door even more.

"What happened to Brother!?" She shouted out across the din, so that the men in the corridor could easily hear it, of which all turned towards her.

"My Princess Rin..." Gakupo said, as he approached her first. He knelt down in front of her, his right hand caressing her cheek. "The Prince...has suffered an accident on his journey back home." He watched her silently, waiting for a reaction. Obtaining none, he continued. "We...do not know whether he is alright...or whether...he is alive..."

"Minister..." Rin whispered. "Minister...You can find him right?" She stuttered, almost insistently. "Brother is alright..he'll always be alright...He's Brother after all...Right?" She stared at him, her eyes wide with shock, desperately wishing for an answer that she wanted to hear.

Gakupo turned his face away from her, already confirming her fears.

"The bridge...was at least 10 metres above the water line, and this storm..." He turned towards the window. "Storms like this are known to make...that river extremely violent...Not many can survive such an onslaught..."

"But..." The girl stuttered. "But...But...Brother..." As the reality sank in, tears began to grow around her eyes, slowly turning into sobs, and quickly afterwards turning into uncontrollable crying, her tears. Gakupo turned towards the King, before signalling to a pair of maids nearby to come with him, before he picked up Rin in his arms and carried her back into her room, followed closely behind by the two maids.

* * *

13/10/2009

Yay! Another chapter done! I'll try and keep this thing updated every 2 days or so, so make sure to check back in two days time everyone!


	3. Saga of the 4 Kingdoms

**Chapter III**:

**Saga of the 4 Kingdoms  
**

_Written by Shyion_

_

* * *

  
_

The crunch of leaves echoed through the woods as Len Kagami walked through the forest, his feet crunching on the fallen leaves that covered this now-rarely used path.

Still in the morning, the sun having yet to warm up the air around him, he walked firmly wrapped in his grey cloak, with only his hood down to give him a clear view of the forest and its path.

"This is a very nice place…" Len whispered to himself as he walked, his head slowly turning left, right, up and down, watching every aspect of the forest. "But I wonder how long it'll take to get to the next village…Let alone my destination…"

It was but perhaps a few months ago that he had told his adopted mother, Luka, the few words that set this journey in motion.

* * *

"You certainly are working hard today!" Luka commented, walking around the corner of inn where they had made their home.

"I enjoy it frankly." Len said, pouring over the clockwork that he was working on.

The yard was empty, a white picket fence plotting out the small field that during other seasons would be used as farmland. Now, the fields were as white as the picket fence guarding it, without a drop nor a peep of green from underneath it. On one side of the field stood the Inn where the adoptive mother and son lived content, the son as a handyman specializing in clockworks, and the mother as an extra hand in the inn to cover living expenses.

"I enjoy the fact that clockworks are able to run so smoothly despite weather, tear and everything else around it." He was currently sitting on a small box just under the shade of the inn's roof, with a larger box operating as his tool bench. "I got this clockwork from an old couple up the street, them saying that it be their wedding present from years ago." He looked up at her, revealing a square-shaped oak box with an intricate bronze pattern engraved on its lid. "It's supposed to be a music box. Just wind here…" Acting on his words, he turned a small, protruding spring several times, each round the spring creaking softly, before releasing. "And hopefully, it should work…"

And sure enough, the box began to play, a soft melody that sounded as if it were part of a chorus of a …… piece.

"Amazing Len!" Luka clapped as she watched the music box continue to play. "How long did it take you to fix this one then?"

"It took…" Len scratched his head with the butt of the screwdriver he was holding. "About two to three weeks, I suppose. This was definitely one of the most complicated pieces I've worked on so far, but I enjoyed every second of it!" He smiled widely as he finished his sentence.

"I'm also working on making a clock of my own." He commented. "I found this ancient bronze watch from the attic up in the inn, and the innkeeper said I could keep it, since it evidently doesn't work anymore. I intend to make it into my greatest piece yet!" He laughed at this, Luka smiling as she watched. She also noticed the pendant that hung around his neck, its original splendour long lost to the many years they had spent in the village.

"What do you intend to do with that, Len?" she asked. "It's very dirty now, I thought you would have been taking better care of it actually, considering how you've been good at taking care of everyone else's stuff." She leaned on the wall of the inn, watching the clouds in the sky.

"Ah, this?" Len asked in return, taking the pendant in his left hand. "I've been taking care of it, just that with things as they are right now, the King of Yellow having died just last year, crime has begun to rise. Although the princess is doing an excellent job of pushing this rate back down again recently, it be better if nobody realized it is what it is." He turned the familiar knob, the pendant opening silently to its master. "See? It's still in excellent condition." He smiled as he looked at the girl in the pendant, but for some reason, this smile slowly disappeared.

"What is it, Len?" Luka asked, noticing his change of heart.

"I've been thinking for a long time, mother." He replied. "Since that time 7 years ago, when I woke up and you told me your name, I've always wondered deep in my heart, about me and my history, about the childhood that I experienced before you found me, yet every time a bubble of memory comes out, I try to prod its secrets, but it would burst immediately, the lead escaping just out of my reach." His hands moved as if to emphasize his feelings, his right reaching out into the field, and at its longest point, clenched itself into a fist. "I want to know, oh so many things about me and my past." He stared at his clenched fist, as silence entered for a brief period.

Luka sighed, unsure of what to do now. "The world is certainly a very, very large place, Len." She began. "It would be hard to find a person like that…"

"Yes, I know…" Len replied, bringing his fist to his side and standing up, looking at her. "But I feel that my purpose in life is not to just sit here in this village and spend the rest of my life here…" He turned his head skyward, seeing the empty sky that was but a few months ago filled with the cries of migrating birds of all species. "I feel like I want to go on a journey, mother. I want to see many things, find the answers to so many burning questions; who I am, what I was like before you found me, what this world is like, and most importantly…" He turned his head to her, and finished with a few words: "I want to know who this girl is."

* * *

It took a few days, but very soon both were ready to set out on a journey to discover again Len's memories. Their few possessions, their lifestyle humble for the last 7 years, was packed into a simple backpack, with their savings used to buy a horse from the innkeeper, and some food for the journey that awaited them.

Finally, they said goodbye to the small village of which was Len's entire memorable world. The happy times that he could remember; exploring the countryside, helping and annoying the villagers that lived there, as well as the times playing with both Luka and the village children.

"I do not believe that this choice was in vain, mother." Len said, as he walked next to the horse.

"I know, I know." Luka replied, smiling at him as she led the horse. "I also yearned for adventure, before I found you. I couldn't help but stay and look after you for that period of time, Len."

"So you should enjoy this trip a lot then, right?" Len asked. "Since you've been stuck in the village for the past 7 years, except for those few times where you went off somewhere for several months or so."

"Yes, it is true." Luka replied, sighing. "I was starting to get bored of that place too."

"But where did you go, those few times, mother?" Len asked, his interest piqued. "You've never really told me where. I'm sure it was somewhere interesting, wasn't it?"

"Indeed, it was, Len." The woman replied. "I went to the Capital of our Kingdom, actually."

"Our Kingdom?" Len asked. "You've never really taught me much history, and the village historian really didn't know much either; the village was just that quiet."

"Well, I suppose this'd be the best time to tell you then, Len." Luka replied. "After travelling for so long, I certainly know a few tales or two about our Kingdom, the Kingdom of Yellow, and its surrounding Kingdoms and lands."

"It'd certainly make for a good road story!" He exclaimed, jubilantly."

"Alright then, let's start from about 30 years ago," she began. "Back then, the Kingdom of Yellow was a very powerful Kingdom, managing to rise above all the rest, save three others; the Kingdoms of Blue, Green and Red. The Kingdom of Blue ruled across the Sea, across a large continent and archipelago, the only Kingdom to rule there. Here on this continent, the Kingdom of Yellow and Red ruled with almost equal power, while the Kingdom of Green, although the smallest country, was still just as powerful as the other three, possessing plentiful, rich lands and an easily defendable position. With me so far?"

"Mhm." He nodded in reply.

"Okay. At that time, the late King took the throne of the Yellow Kingdom, ruling with an iron, but kind fist; he made sure everything was in order for the people, and that they were happy, although his methods were perhaps a bit dubious to some. But at least, to the people, he got the job done. Then, about 13 years ago, the King's wife gave birth to twins, a baby girl and a baby boy. But, unfortunately their mother died during childbirth, leaving the King very distraught. Very soon, his character seemed to change drastically; now knowing full well that death is inevitable to all, he became greedy, wishing to collect as much as possible before his inevitable death."

"That's a sad story, mother..." Len commented, looking down at the road gloomily as he walked.

"Yes, it is." Luka replied, looking wistfully at the clouds, as if remembering her own past. "But he kept this to mostly other countries; the Kingdom of Yellow itself still remained stable afterwards, and its people giving their full support to him."

"Ah, that is good, I suppose..." He said, although sounding unsure of himself.

"I'm not sure either, Len." She replied. "But regardless, things still played out fine, until one day, 7 years ago..." She trailed off at this, unsure of her words and what to say next.

"What happened then, mother?" He asked innocently. "That was the year you found me though, wasn't it?"

"Ah...yes, it was, Len." She replied, smiling at him. "It was the year that I found you." She turned back to the road, as she continued. "That year actually, one of the King's children died."

"Seriously?!" He cried, incredulous. "How did it happen?"

"I'm not sure myself, Len." She replied. "One this is for sure, is that it was the brother of which who died, the Crown Prince. How did he die, I am not sure, many people differ in the events of that day. But what was really significant they say, was that there was evidence at the scene pointing to the Kingdom of Red, as being the ones behind the murder."

"So it was because of that, the war against Red started way back then?" Len asked, more of a statement than a question.

"Yes;" Luka nodded. "Our King of Yellow embarked on a war against the Kingdom of Red in revenge for the murder, and in the end, the Kingdom of Yellow won the war, of which lasted for two years. At the end of it, the Kingdom of Red was absorbed into the Kingdom of Yellow, doubling its size and its power, almost rivalling that of the Kingdom of Blue, but it was still much more powerful."

"So all that stands in Yellow's way, is the Kingdom of Green," The boy began. "to gain complete control of this continent, and become as powerful as the Kingdom of Blue?"

"Yes, that's it, Len!" She exclaimed, happy that he had understood it all. "But the King of Yellow was not one to start wars unnecessarily; he at least knew his people well enough to know that such actions will eventually cause rebellions, so he made sure to let the dust settle after the Kingdom of Red was defeated, and absorbed."

"That's good then." Len said. "Perhaps that is the first place we will need to go then?"

"Yes, I was thinking of that myself, Len." Luka replied, smiling at him. "It usually takes me about two weeks to arrive there by horse, but I'm sure we can take it slowly with you around." She ruffled his hair playfully, laughing.

* * *

Heaving the bronze watch that he had made, Len smiled fondly as the memories passed by, feeling as if they were just yesterday.

"Now," he said, as he put his watch away, the forest still silent around him as he walked onwards. "Mother said that she had to go ahead to the capital in the last village, so she should be there already by now, bringing the horse and all."

'_Judging by the time I've been walking, I should find the city very soon..._' He thought.

And sure enough, in the distance he heard the chime of a city's church bells ringing, signalling the 2nd hour of the afternoon. Yet for some reason, having never remembered being to the capital, Len felt a pull on one of his heartstrings, almost as if returning to a home that was left alone long, long ago.

Mesmerised by this, his pace slowed until a halt, his right hand moving up slowly to rest above his heart, feeling its beat as it's pace quickened unexplainably.

"What..." He muttered, perplexed at this. "Maybe I'll find what I want to find much sooner than I thought..." Putting his hand into his pack, he grabbed onto the watch that sat stock still, murmuring, "Soon...I will find you soon..." With that, he continued on with the last leg of his journey, the city walls soon coming into view, the myriad of smells and sounds of the people and the inhabitants of the city wafting through the air gently, relaxed, as he approached closer, and closer to a fate unknown, yet strangely familiar to himself.

* * *

15/10/2009

Yay! Third chapter's up everyone! (I'm surprised I'm actually able to meet my deadlines XD)

Thank you to all those who have read & reviewed so far (I should have said this in the last chapter, but that one I uploaded when I was 3/4 asleep!! Sorry! -.-)

I was debating through the night (I even had a dream about it...scary...) about what kind of profession should Len lead into, but in the end I chose a clockwork handler. I feel that this kind of suits him, because he seems to be a kind of guy that literally runs like clockwork; he'll always come back running properly to do his job no matter what happens.

As always, please Read & Review, and most of all, enjoy!


	4. Innocence, Begone

**Chapter IV**:

**Innocence, Begone  
**

_Written by Shyion_

Truly, it was an impressive sight, to say the least. But to Len Kagami, a young village boy, the sight was nothing less of awe-inspiring.

From left to right, up and down, the sights of a bustling city rung out with the cries of hawkers, mothers guiding their children and chatting among themselves, playful boys and girls with coloured ornaments running around helter-skelter all over the cobblestone paths. The grunts and whistles of coolies, bakers, builders and a myriad of other professions mingled amidst the noise, while the gleaming armour of guards and watchmen stood out even amidst the din and activity of such a city, their gleaming tabards of the Yellow Kingdom shining as prominently as the cold steel that they wore in the bright sunlight. And towering above the people, stood even more impressive stone buildings with thatched roofs, their height outstripping any that Len had ever seen in the countryside by at least a factor of two. Many possessed tremendously towering spires of chimneys giving off smoke from a variety of professions, from brick makers to ceramic kennels, from glassblowers to bakers.

Yet perhaps the most impressive sight of all, was the towering, solid walls of the Palace that loomed over all the buildings in the vicinity despite its distance. It's spires, each topped with the Flag of the Yellow Kingdom, made out of polished Limestone, literally shone in the bright sunlight, its finish so fine and smooth to reflect a large amount of light. Multitudes of spires and towers reached up from a roughly circular base, the towers placed on the perimeter of the base, each tower having a compliment of two spires, one facing out of the Palace and another inwards, with a final, immense tower rising up from the very centre of the Palace.

Already, Len was lost upon his first step into the city, his cluelessness amplified by the myriad of merchants coming in behind him, accompanied by horses, oxen and various other livestock pulling carts and caravans of a dozen sizes and more.

'_Mother said that I have to go someplace to meet her…_' Len thought to himself. '_What was the name again…the inn's name – Yagh!'_ His final thoughts as he was yanked clear of the way of a passing cart by a large man, towering at least 6 feet.

He held in his left hand a large halberd that, despite his stature, still was at least another head taller again, its metal tip gleaming against the sun. The solid chainmail, still shining and brand-new, covered the length of his body, including his legs and hands.

"Little boy!" He boomed, his voice loud enough to hear over the bustling crowds. "You're certainly a right country-pumpkin now aren't you?" His right hand held firmly onto Len's arm, the rings of chain easily felt through his clothing. "You'll need to be more careful around here, or else you'll get yourself run over by something! Haha!" He released Len's hand, standing upright to look at Len closely. "Well, boy, looks like you could use some directions around here. Where are you headed?"

"Well," Len began, "I'm supposed to meet someone here in the city, but I've kind of forgotten the name of the meeting place, the inn."

"Well, there be at least a hundred inns dotted all over this city," the man started, leading Len off to the side of the road, under the shade of a building where a small group of his friends stood, watching the crowd. "There be a large number of the inns situated near the Eastern square." He walked up to a map, likely of the city, pinned on the wall, several chairs and tables set beneath it.

"Here, we are at the South Gate." He pointed at the city map, which featured an octagonal-shaped design, each of the points having a single, large circle to likely represent towers that adorned the walls. "Over here, is the East Square. Each side of the city, North, South, East and West has a corresponding square, you see, plus a central square in front of the Palace, here." He pointed at each of the squares in succession, a blank, empty space of parchment at each location. "Most of the city's activity can be seen here in these squares, the other streets just too small and packed for a lot of activity to be seen there. It's very busy here, since the South gate is so close to the South Square, the Traders and Merchant's square."

"Ah, I see." Len replied, fascinated with the map. He traced a path from the locations that the guard pointed to, from the South gate where they currently stood, to the East Square. "Okay, I think I see how I can get there, thanks sir!"

"Ha, anytime little boy." The guard said gently. "Just don't get run over, ok?"

"Alright!" Len smiled, before rushing off into the crowd, eager to see Luka again.

"Also, boy!" The man shouted again, "Keep that sword of yours in handy! You might need it at some point soon!"

Len paused for a while, waving to the man before rushing off again, unsure of what he meant. Surely with a city as well-guarded and patrolled as this, there would be no need for the sword, would there?

Weaving his way through the mass of people, he soon reached a street that he roughly recognized from the map. Heading forward, he darted through the throngs of people and the maze, avoiding the occasional spilling pot of water from a housewife above along the way, until he reached a very wide square.

But he had apparently taken a wrong turn; he stood in front of the Palace, and its own square.

"Must have been the close houses that interfered…" Len murmured, walking now.

A mass of people had gathered in the centre, circling around a large wooden structure. At the centre, stood a man dressed in a Yellow coat with Black trousers, stood in the middle of the people, aboard the platform that accompanied the wooden structure, reading out from a piece of parchment.

Weaving through the masses, Len came to within view of the structure; a towering guillotine, its steel blade standing tall and prepared, evidently an execution event.

"…For crimes against both her Majesty, Queen Rin Kagamine..."

'_Rin...Kagami...ne?_" Len thought to himself, puzzled as he felt a sense of familiarity with the name wash over him.

The man aboard was shouting clearly over the mass of people. Behind him, stood another man, evidently shattered mentally from some form of experience, with both his hands and feet chained tightly, his body covered by only red rags. Beside him, stood his executioner; a burley man dressed only in black leather pants, his face covered by a black hood.

"...and Country, this man, who willingly allies himself with our long-vanquished foe, the Kingdom of Red, will today be executed."

As the hailer finished his decree, the executioner pushed the condemned man forward, the momentum enough to send him tumbling into place, his neck landing on the crib designated. With certainty brought about by experience, the execution stepped forward and clapped the wooden lock upon the condemned's neck, locking it firmly with chain. Then, he stepped back towards a wheel, a long string leading from it up to the guillotine, the only thing keeping it in place a solid steel bar.

Placing his hand gently on the bar, he took one last look at the Man of Red, before removing the bar, the guillotine shining one last time, before plummeting down, slicing off his head cleanly into a metal bowl waiting patiently.

The executioner then stepped forward smoothly, grasping the hair on the man's head firmly and raising it up high, eliciting a cheer from the crowd as he was proclaimed dead, crimson blood spurting out from the body, and leaking out from the severed neck down to the cobblestones below.

But already Len was running out of the crowd, his stomach churning, with his recent meal coming out. Just reaching a drain at the edge of the square, he heard the sickening slash of the guillotine, slicing off the head and killing the man, at the same time slicing the last barrier that protected his stomach's contents from spilling out into the depths of the drain.

"What..." He spat out the last of his phlegm and watched it fall down the depths of the drain. "What the hell...was that..." He crawled to a nearby building, before leaning on it, his breath hard and fast as cold sweat chilled his body to the bone.

"Watching the butchers at the village..." He panted quietly, "Cannot compare to this..." He covered his face with his right hand as he stared at the guillotine, willing his stomach to pacify itself. As he watched, the crowd began to disperse, as did his memories and visions of the execution disperse slowly from his mind.

It must have been a quarter of an hour later that Len began to move. Muscles finally obeying commands, he got up from the ground shakily, muttering "I'd better find that inn soon..." His stomach still churning within him, he continued anew with the last leg of his journey.

He looked carefully at his surroundings, placing directions around himself, before choosing a path to the opposite side of the square, holding his cloak firmly around him.

He walked slowly at first, still unstable from the sight and his lost lunch, but after a time he picked up the pace, walking at speed through the streets, past housing districts and a few shops.

At the beginning, the streets were moderately crowded, but as he continued to walk onwards, the streets slowly became more and more deserted. It was up until a point, where the streets were completely empty; the only buildings here a motley assortment of sheds, warehouses and derelicts, that Len began to run through the streets, fearing what might happen.

And rightly so. Before long, he encountered a band of 4 men leaning on the walls of the buildings that made the pathway so thin. They wore a variety of clothing, their cloaks the only sign of uniform between them all, they were all at least in their 20's, and certainly not very well educated, all more like local thugs rather than anything else. Subconsciously, Len gripped the hilt of his sword, his stomach beginning to churn as he expected the worst.

"Boy, toll fee here is 1 silver." One said, thrusting his hand out to him.

"That's extortion!" Len exclaimed, running the basic currency values Luka had taught him. 100 coppers would equal 1 silver, and 50 silvers would equal one gold. Already, a half-dozen buns in a bakery would cost no more than 30 coppers at most!

"Either you had it to us, or we'll hand this to you!" Another one of the men grunted, heaving a metal rod in his hand. Already behind him, Len heard the pat of two pairs of footsteps on the cobblestone path; at least two more of this band of men has appeared behind him.

"I suppose it's too late to take another route?" Len asked, preparing for the inevitable.

"I suppose it is." A third man said, drawing a small dagger. "While we're at it, we might as well take the rest of the money on you.

His eyes lighted up, the light reflecting off his bright emerald eyes, as he realised that they would take his prized watch, as well as his beloved pendant as well. "I won't let that happen." He muttered through clenched teeth.

Leaping backwards, he rolled on the ground past the pair, coming up a few steps behind the two men that were standing behind him. Flicking his left hand, he revealed his sheathed sword from beneath his cloak, drawing it out with his right hand in a smooth motion, holding it in a straight line with his right hand, pointing behind him, his left hand bent in front of his body, the thumb and middle finger lightly touching his right shoulder.

It was a slender sword, known more commonly as a Small Sword, descendant of the Rapier, its blade measured roughly 60 centimetres of cold steel, its decorated hilt a polished bronze shell coupled with a twirling, intricately made bronze wire that would do well in protecting its master's hands from danger.

Two of the men were armed with long poles, another three with daggers and a final man armed with an axe, each of their weapons drawn and ready, although their stance boasted of a lack of finesse, relying more on brute strength rather than skill.

"We will see who will walk away from this standing!" He shouted at them as a challenge.

'_The street is too thin for them all to charge at me; at most two can get through at any time._' He thought, preparing. '_Mother, I hope all that you've taught me will come to good use here..._'

* * *

"Len!" Luka shouted from the entrance to the inn. "Len, come, I've got something for you!"

"What is it, mother?" Len asked, standing up from the garden of vegetables in the back yard of the inn. He raced to the entrance, Luka standing by a chair in the front lounge.

"It's been two years since I've found you, Len." Luka began as Len walked in. She was staring at an object that she had leaned on the couch. It was quite a large object, just less than 80 centimetres in length, wrapped carefully in a brown cloth and black strings. "So I want to give you something as an anniversary gift." She smiled at him as he approached.

"What is it, mother?" The boy asked. She placed her hand on the top of the wrapped object fondly.

"This was given to me as a gift, Len, but I have no use for it now." She continued. "I want you to have it..." She bent down, picking up the package and untying the string, the cloth falling to reveal a small, decorated sword.

"A sword..." Len murmured, running his eyes across the sheathed weapon.

"It is a Small Sword, Len." Luka told him. "With things happening as they are, you will need to learn how to defend yourself in this world. I want you to have this sword, so that you can protect yourself with it."

"But...mother..." He murmured, shocked at the sword's sudden appearance. "I don't want to have to kill people..."

"I know, Len." Luka sighed, placing the sword on the ground as she knelt before him, placing a hand on his cheek. "But at times, you will find that there are some things that you must at least try to protect at all costs, sometimes your life, sometimes something valuable to your heart. And it is at these times, that you may have to kill, to save both your life, and the thing that you wish to protect."

"I...I..." Len's eyes darted between Luka and the sword on the ground, unsure of what to do now. "But...Who can teach me though?"

"I will teach you." Luka smiled gently. "Before I settled down here, I was a traveller, as I have told you before; I had many opportunities to fight with a sword, so I can definitely teach you some things!"

"Well...uh...Alright..." Len said, hesitantly, his eyes resting on the sword. Unexpectedly, Luka brought Len closer for a hug, holding him tightly as a mother would her son.

"I'm sorry that this must happen, Len, but I feel that it is something you really need." Luka whispered to his ear. "I hope that in time, you will come to accept that."

"I will, mother." Len said. "I will." At this time again, his mind drifted towards the pendant that even now hung around his neck, the only possession that can be solidly and firmly called his own. An object that he knew, he would have to learn to protect.

* * *

Len watched as the array of men shuffled quietly; it was the first time that someone had directly challenged them, something must certainly be special about this one.

"So, are you coming or not, Brigands?!" He spat at them. "Bunch of pansies!" He shouted again, attempting to enrage them.

Two men succumbed to that last insult; one wielding a pole and the other a dagger. The pole wielding man swung his weapon in a cross-chop motion, the space not large enough for a full-swing attack, and still not large enough to let his comrade through for his own attack. Deftly, Len blocked the attack, letting the pole slide down to his hilt, entangling it in the wires. There, Len twisted just enough for the man to release his hold, yelling in pain as it twisted his wrist tendons, before sliding it out gently from the wire and stabbing at the man, four times in quick succession at his arms to disable him, the clang of the pole upon the ground resounding with each piercing strike and renewed scream.

Twirling on his left foot, using his cloak to hide his movements, Len made a quick slash in the direction of his second attacker, feeling the resistance brought on by flesh, and a sharp scream from his target. He continued twirling, letting his momentum carry him away from his enemy for a brief distance, before turning to face his foes, holding his sword at the ready again. He saw his second enemy crouched on the ground, a long but shallow gash of red running down his right arm from the wrist to his elbow. At the sight of his blood, his stomach churned slightly as memories of the execution fluttered back into his mind. Shaking his head, he returned to the scene, seeing five more men appear out of the shadows of the street, all clad in black, each now holding a proper sword to fight him with.

"Oh bloody..." Len cursed as he saw this; now there were 8 men to fight against.

"You are certainly a feisty one!" A final man said, stepping out calmly from the shadows behind his cronies.

Dressed in the same attire as the others around him, he stood at roughly 5 feet 8 inches, his clothing a little bit better quality, visually, compared to that of his comrades.

"At such a young age too!" By his sides hung two scabbards, the bronze hilt of each gleaming dangerously in the dimly lit street. "I'm not sure whether to offer you a place here with me, or order your death for what you did to my two good friends here."

Len kept quiet at this comment, refusing to answer this man, who was apparently the leader of this group.

"No answer?" the man exclaimed, incredulous. "Well, I suppose we'll grant you a quick death for your display of prowess. We'll be taking all you have on you in the end anyway though, so it doesn't really matter." He burst out laughing, before pointing directly to him, murmuring with a smile:

"Kill him!"

As one the men charged, yet the size of the street was just too small for them to all come at once. Preparing himself, Len crouched down, holding his sword's tip against them, possible actions running through his head, knowing that he would not be able to last against this onslaught.

Yet fate seemed not to have abandoned him yet; from behind him a group of armoured men came charging forth from a dark alley, their armour hidden by the dim light, their halberds pointed at the men.

"What the...!?" The lead man said, recoiling as did his cronies against the wave of armoured men. "The watch? What the hell are they doing here?!"

"I called them over." A woman said calmly as she stepped out behind Len, who was watching as the soldiers easily disarm the eight men and pin them down on the ground, tying their hands in strong rope coils. But at the sound of her voice, he turned slowly to look at her.

"...Mother?" He asked tentatively to the shadow behind him.

"What took you so long, Len?" Luka smiled at him as her face was revealed by the dim light from the darkness. She was wearing loose black pants with a loose white shirt and a brown belt around her waist, certainly adapting herself to city life easily.

"My friend in the South gate told me that a young boy like you was looking for someone. You had caused me quite a bit of trouble, having to search for you like this!" She sighed, looking up. "But at least you did a good job here, Len. "

Leaning down and whispering in his ear, she continued, "I'm sorry that you had to witness that execution a few minutes ago. I should've been there with you..."

"It's alright, mother." Len smiled at her, reassured by her presence. "You here is all that I need for comfort."

"I'll get you for this, woman!" the remaining brigand shouted at them. Drawing his two scimitars from his sides, the brigand charged at them, his size belying a surprisingly high speed.

Luka reached for her side, yet found that she had left her own sword somewhere else. Cursing, she looked around desperately for another weapon; the watchmen still busy with the 8 brigands, there was nothing she could do as the brigand sped closer, intent on cutting her down at least, if not the boy.

"I had to spend a long time finding those men and supplying them with weapons!" He screamed hysterically. "I was just about to break even too!"

He closed the remaining distance quickly, his swords gleaming as the cut through the air, intent on their target; Luka's neck.

The ripping of fabric, the squelch of a sword slicing through flesh, and the final stench of blood filled the air around the street.

Yet Luka remained unharmed as the pair of swords which had threatened her life, clattered on the ground.

Spluttering out blood, the brigand fell down to his knees as he clutched the sword that had been stabbed directly to his gut, the wires of its hilt pushed all the way to his flesh, the steel point protruding from his back, coated in crimson red.

"Boy..." He muttered through bleeding teeth, his hands white as he clutched the sword and Len's hand, glued so tightly to its hilt, as if it were now a permanent part of him. He tilted his head slightly, to look into Len's eyes, his blood and life trickling from his body even as he moved, trickling down the hilt, soaking Len's pale hands and sleeves.

"Damn...you..." He uttered, coughing blood through his mouth, coating Len's cloak and clothing with his crimson red blood, before pushing backwards, using Len's still body as a lever. He collapsed backwards onto the ground, free of the sword that had held them together moments before, as the small wound began to grow, consuming his body as the crimson organism encroached over the rest of his body.

Spluttering out his last few breaths, he turned his head to face Len, standing stock still where he was before, his sword, hilt and hand covered in red so much so that it was almost impossible to tell where the tool ended, and the human began.

"You got me good, boy." He muttered, before collapsing with a sick, wet thud on the cobble ground as the pool of blood around his body continued to grow, his breathing ended.

Slowly, Len brought his sword to in front of his face, his mind numb from feeling it...feeling, the beating of his body, the violent thump of his vanquished foe's heartbeat as the sword pierced flesh, feeling, as the beats died slowly, the fading of his life, the life of the man that wanted to take away his life, he had taken away instead.

The hilt still shone in the light, it's pure gleam tainted now however by the blood of the man that lay before him. His hands began to shake, the drops of blood splattering on the ground again, and again, in parallel as Len ran through the brief instant that he first took a life.

Mutely, he collapsed on his hands, feeling his stomach churning again as he began to pant, fast and faster as did the feeling of dread, and utter panic take over his mind as he began to scream.

His screams carried far throughout the street and any adjacent as he mourned both the death of the man that he had killed, and the death of a part of himself, the death of his innocence, his mind and body now caught in the iron grip of cruel, cruel fate.

Finally, he collapsed sideways into Luka's outstretched arms, his mind blank as his final strength ebbed out of his body, his brain shutting down. He took a final look up into Luka's face, his vision soon afterwards fading into darkness as the blood of his foe crept up his cloak, staining it's neutral grey with the crimson sign of a killer.

* * *

Hey everyone! Next chapter, and boy is it a biggie!

I'm kind of unsure about the inclusion of death & such about this one; what extent can I include death & stuff. Also, I wasn't sure again as to whether Len had already seen the death of a person, much less kill someone himself, but as he needs to kill later to please his princess, I figured that he'll need to kill someone now to prevent the shock getting to him too much later.

Also, thank you all who have read, & I must ask to all readers to drop in a review or so, please? I'll still post chapters regardless, but I'd like to know how you as the reader feel about this story so I can improve & make it more interesting & enjoyable for all those who read the coming chapters!

Alright, thank you again for reading, & I hope you did enjoy this chapter!

One last thing; Next chapter coming up on Tuesday; I don't want the updates to keep on moving forward one day at a time each week, so update dates for you guys to watch out for are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.


	5. Rise to thy Memories, my Prince

Okay people! This chapter was NOT funny; at all. Seriously. = =

Alright, to start with, why the late update? Its because I was having my first Exam papers on Tuesday and on Thursday. On Thursday night, I wanted to write this up, and post it on Friday, but that didn't happen because there were a few story line problems *cough**cough* - which I'll explain a little more about in the note at the end. So in the end, Its posted today, sorry if this chapter is a bit dry at the beginning.

And good news is for those who are [im]patiently waiting, don't worry! Len and Rin are going to meet next chapter!

Unless there are more storyline complications... heh heh

* * *

**Chapter V**:

**Rise to thy Memories, my Prince  
**

_Written by Shyion_

A sound.

It cuts through the darkness, the sound of something dripping.

A chill.

A warm liquid flowing down his arm, the chill of its slow, viscous movement tingling his senses.

Through the blackness, nothing can be seen, yet everything is illuminated.

A cut, the slice of flesh as the blackness was sliced away, revealing once again the horrifying death, the crimson tears of a punctured body flowing down his hands, its warmth sending a chill down his spine. Dripping, dripping on the cobblestone path beneath him.

A beat.

From quickness of life, the sound of a beating heart reverberates across his arms, the vibrations slowly, ever so slowly, dying as he holds it, a life that he held in his hands, he had destroyed.

The cadaver upon his sword pulls away, coughing and soaking him with the blood of a slain man.

He looks up to see his victim, to pay his last respects, but no, it was too late –

All that remained was a skull, its eyes aflame with a burning hatred, and the cold wish of the dead, for vengeance.

From his nightmare, Len awoke with cold sweat pouring down his temples, sitting bolt upright within the covers of a soft, warm bed.

Darting his eyes to find his enemy, the skeleton that had threatened him in his dreams, he found himself again within the rooms of an inn, a comfortable hearth burning on the opposing wall of a small room, enough for two.

A simple rug covered its wooden floor, its walls content to remain bare. To his left another bed, empty for now, while to his right, a table and two chairs circling it. Beyond this, a large, oaken door stood still within the bare walls.

Clutching the bedcovers, he collapsed once more onto the soft bed, his open hair flailing about the feather pillow.

"What have I done…" He whispered, clasping his face as the skeleton came alive before him, his mind replaying his nightmare over and over again, his eyes cringing in fear as the imaginary sight came.

Dressed in a fresh pair of brown shorts as well as a white shirt, he remained under the bedcovers, feeling the chills down his spine slowly die, but the nightmare remaining, emblazoned into his mind.

An urge to vomit, yet his stomach was long empty, it uttered a growl instead, landing on deaf ears as he willed his mind to quieten, slowing itself down from the shock of the nightmare, as the creak of an oaken door signalled an arrival.

Sitting up slowly, he looked past the tables, towards the door at the standing figure there, her pink hair aflame in the light of the fire, a light of comfort to Len.

"Mom…" He uttered, before being engulfed in Luka's embrace.s

"Len…" She whispered to his ear. "Len…I'm so sorry…you shouldn't have had to see so many things in one day…I'm sorry…"

She pulled back slightly to look at his face, his emerald eyes shining in the flames as he stared back at her, nonplussed. Then slowly, he began to cry, letting out tears of sadness, of helplessness and the brutality of the world that he has now stepped into.

* * *

The bustling streets landed on his deaf ears as he walked slowly through the cobbled lanes beside Luka, staring at only the ground, his mind still lost in its thoughts as he evaded the thrall of people in the market district.

He still wore his white linens from the night before, his previous clothes now soiled by the blood of the brigand he had slain, his death still heavily weighing on Len's mind. He wore a simple pair of sandals on his feet to protect them from the cobblestone path, and the various things that fell on there.

"So what kind of new clothes would you like, Len?" Luka asked him over the noise.

There was no response from him as he followed beside her, staring at the ground. She sighed, before putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her immediately, shocked out of his stunned state.

"What kind of clothes would you like, Len?" she asked again directly to his face.

"Ah..." he stuttered, turning back to the road, his mind half-absent. "Um, I guess...something like my old ones?" he continued slowly. "I'd like a new cloak...also...um...well...the same clothes as before, I guess...I don't really mind..."

"Alright then," Luka said. "That's not too difficult to find." She looked at the street again, looking for any nearby clothes store. "Let's go to that one first, Len."

* * *

Soon afterwards they emerged from the store, Len now sporting a fresh black cloak and hood, as well as a pair of black pants, with a matching black waistcoat and a white long-sleeved shirt underneath it. On his arms he had slung a yellow necktie for more formal occasions. Below on his feet, he wore black leather shoes with matching black socks, although this was not visible with his cloak and pants on.

"There, that wasn't so hard now was it?" Luka asked him as they stood outside the store. "Your new clothes look very good on you actually."

Len nodded once, gently, mutely as he stared at the tie on his hand.

Luka sighed again, thinking of what to do now. Then, she heard the chime of the Cathedral bells, signalling the tenth hour of the day. She looked around for the chimes, before noticing the towering spires that were visible above the throng of buildings.

"Len, would you like to visit the Cathedral today?" She asked him gently.

He stared at the ground for a period of time, thinking deeply, about what, Luka could not guess; her question, or the weights on his mind.

"Alright." He said suddenly in reply, out of the blue.

"Okay then, Len." She replied, hopeful. "I think I know the way there." She set off at a gentle pace through the streets, Len following dutifully behind her.

Soon, they reached the open oak doors of the Cathedral, standing tall before them, the Cathedral and its spires even more impressive up close, a round stained glass window adorning its front door.

"Alright, shall we go in?" Luka asked him. He nodded, as they stepped forward into the Cathedral.

The rows of oaken chairs, were empty, all facing the altar at the far end of the Cathedral like dutiful guards, the great bell above still now, without a sound emanating from it.

The walls were adorned with finely carved stone pillars and marble statues, yet this all paled in comparison with the great light shining through the stained glass windows that shone above it all, depicting ancient heroic stories of valour and courage. The altar, opposite of two great, intricately carved oaken doors, was that of a fine marble, its pure white surface streaked here and there with veins of black, blue, and various other cooling colours.

They sat down at one of the benches closest to the door, staring at the altar at the far side of the Cathedral for at least half an hour in silence as both thought of what to do, and what has happened so far.

"Len, I want you to stay here for a short while; I need to go and meet someone." Luka said to him after a time, her mind made up now. Len nodded in silence, before turning to her.

"Take care, mother." He smiled slightly.

"I will, Len." She said. She patted the hilt of the sword by her side. "It won't be like last time." At the sight however, Len drew back slightly, now still afraid of the sword and what kind of implications wielding holds to him.

Regardless, he watched her as she stepped out of the Cathedral, the building still empty, save for one priest who had now made his way to the altar. Len watched him in silence as he prayed at the altar, before the priest too looked up and watched him.

Silently, Len stood up and walked towards the altar, still watching the priest silently as he watched Len back in return.

"What is your problem, dear child?" The priest asked Len as he stepped forward. His brown habit hung loosely about him, his head almost bald with a slight ring of grey hair circling the sides of his head. His gentle, blue-grey eyes welcomed Len silently, happily almost.

"Father..." Len replied quietly as he stopped before the altar, opposite the priest. "I come here for guidance..."

"And what is it that you seek, dear child?" The priest asked him again.

"I..." He looked around hesitantly. "I..." His voice faded off into silence, unsure of what to do.

"You were that boy yesterday, were you not?" The priest said in his place. "That boy who made the news yesterday, managing to wound two fully-grown men, no brigands, and their leader, were you not?" His eyes looked at him seriously, yet gently.

"Father..." Len's head dropped down to gaze at the floor, as he felt tears well up again in his eyes. "Yes...I was..."

"I guessed as much." The priest said as he looked over Len again one more time. "It is indeed saddening that such things must come before you now, at such a young age. It only makes sense for you to come here, to the place of the Lord, to calm your mind and find yourself again." The priest smiled at him, before looking up to the stained glass window above the altar. "You are more than welcome here, my child." He finished, before heading off into one of the corridors that was the maze of the Cathedral. "When things get rough, you must get rough too in return." The priest said finally, his voice echoing throughout the room as he left.

Len stared at the altar, then at the stained glass window above the altar, watching the beams of light cut through the darkness with its multitude of vibrant colours. Watching, thinking, praying for forgiveness as he knelt down in front of the altar, his presence dominating the empty room as his golden hair shone brightly in the light of the stained glass windows.

He closed his eyes as he thought deeply about what he had done, the silence of the Cathedral helping to calm his turbulent mind, to let him think things through clearly.

It must have been at least another half an hour, maybe more, worth of silence that Len had to himself. But this silence was to be broken by gentle laughter wafting through the corridors.

Len opened his eyes, searching for the source of the noise, before standing up and walking through one of the corridor entrances, the room still empty, nobody entering due to their working schedule.

The corridors were lined with intricately carved stone pillars reaching up to support the large, arched roof above him, its solid grey giving Len a sense of protection from the outside world. Its darkness penetrated by evenly spaced torches, the corridor still remained bright. As he stepped, he heard the voices of laughter grow louder and louder, as he saw the left wall open a distance before him, light from the sun pouring in there.

Soon, he reached the opening; the voices of laughter now clear to him as he looked around the wall, his eyes seeing two children, playing in a large courtyard of the Church.

It was a young girl and boy, quite clearly not related by blood. The young girl wore a long, ankle-length red dress with white and black lace adorning its trims, while the boy wore black shorts with a short-sleeved white shirt, a light tinge of pink gracing his shirt's cuffs.

They were smiling gently as they went about their games, the sunlight shining brightly around them as if to bless their playful times. Len smiled at them, watching them play, happy that they are able to enjoy their youth and innocence so happily. He watched them play, before seeing them sit down, the girl busy weaving something in her hands, her face concentrated in her work as the boy watched her silently.

Soon, the girl finished, holding her piece of work to the boy. But the distance was too far for Len to see what she was holding, as both the boy and girl laughed at her work, the boy grasping the piece with his hands gently, taking it from her and inspecting it.

Soon, two people stepped out from the shadows of the Cathedral, a young man and women, the man dressed in a light grey pants with a white long-sleeved shirt and black waistcoat, his shirt's cuffs sporting a light pink to signify his membership into one of the noble houses. The woman was wearing a similar pattern, a maid's outfit with a white and black trim on her dress and cuffs. Both nodded to each other as the approached the children, the little boy and girl standing up, away from their fun, the girl facing the maid and the boy facing the butler.

A short conversation ensued, before the children bid each other farewell, both following their respective houses' servants, their plaything left on the cobbled ground of the courtyard.

As they left, Len stepped forward into the light, curious about what they had left behind.

As he stepped forward, the light illuminated his blonde hair, giving it a golden aura to contrast with his black cloak as he stepped forward slowly towards the cobblestone path.

He knelt down by the article as he reached it, his hand reaching out towards it slowly.

It was a small ring of grass, big enough to fit on top of a child's head, white flowers adorning the ring at regular intervals.

'_Why does this seem...so familiar..._' Len thought, as he reached forward. His hands picked up the ring of grass, bringing it to his face to study it closer.

Almost instantly, he felt a jolt run up his spine, hitting his brain like a full-throttle punch, the knock enough for his hand to release his hold on the grass, his eyes opening wide.

He brought his hands to his head slowly, cradling it as a series of visions ran across his mind in quick succession like a flood gate opening within his brain, drowning his mentality with an unknown person's history.

* * *

"Len!" A voice shouted to him.

He turned to look at the origin of the voice. Below a large oak tree within the garden that he stood in, sat a young girl beckoning to him.

"What is it?" He said as he approached her.

A girl sat in front of him, dressed in a yellow dress with black trimmings, her hands hard at work on something, her face focusing only on her work as her blonde, shoulder-length hair hung about her face.

Soon, she rejoiced, her hand holding out to him her piece of work; a ring of grass with flowers at occasional intervals.

"Here!" She said to him. "I made this for you!" She smiled at him, holding the piece to him.

Len felt himself smile at this girl, taking the grass ring from her gently.

"I learned how to make that from a villager yesterday when we went out!" She said happily as he took it from her.

A tap on his shoulder, Len turned around to look at a towering figure behind him as another person stepped behind the girl.

"It's time for your lessons; prince, princess." The figure said, reaching out to hold his hand.

"But I still want to play!" The girl shouted at them as the opposite figure picked her up. "Len!" The girl turned to him, holding an outstretched hand to him. He tried to grasp it, but he too was lifted up from the ground by the person behind.

"Rin!" he yelled as she was taken away, she and the figure fading out into the darkness of his memories as tears streaked his face.

* * *

"It's raining..." He muttered, his hands still clasping his face as he heard the patter of water hitting the cobblestones. "What is this...Why...Who..." He reached a shaking hand to his pocket, taking out his brass watch, bringing it to his face as he held it, opening it slowly and taking out the locket, watching the face within it and comparing.

"They...are the same..." He stuttered, as a drop of water fell onto the locket, a hand still covering half his face. "Is it...true?"

He felt water trickle through his hands, but none land on his head, as he removed his final hand so he can view the locket fully.

"I remember now..." he muttered, his tears flowing unhindered, showering the ground as he knelt over the grass ring. "I remember now...How many years has it been I wonder..." He looked skyward as the sun shone off the tears streaking his face, illuminating his sad smile.

"I'm home..." he said through choked sobs. "Rin, I'm home...I will find you, my dear sister...And I will make up, for these past six years, I promise you, my Princess..."

* * *

The small room was dark, a single candle sitting upon a wooden oak table, two chairs sitting opposite each other by the table.

A wooden door opened from one side of this bare room, the light shining in freely to illuminate the small room as a person stepped in, a cloak covering up the moving body entirely as the door closed, cutting off the light once more.

"Agent, you took your time coming." A man said from the seat of the table furthest from the door.

"Sorry, Minister." The cloaked person said, sitting down on the remaining chair.

"What's the status report?" The man said. "Also, what's the report on Len? We've all heard the news from the day before, that's old."

"Yes, true." The cloaked person said. "I fear that he is slowly regaining his memories; he might remember at any time now."

"The bond between them was very strong, six years ago." The man said calmly, stroking his chin. "You do know the reason why he should have been kept separated yes?"

"Yes, Minister."

"Good, that saves the trouble of explaining it again." The man said. "Well, considering what has happened and what might happen, it appears that Len will regain his memories soon, by what you have told me."

"Yes, it might take just another nudge of some kind to make him remember again."

"Alright then..." The man said, standing up. He paced around the room for a while, thinking deeply. "It appears that there is no stopping him from regaining his memories. Considering the nature of what I remember from him, so many years ago, it would be like challenging a mountain to try and stop him from finding Rin, if he remembers."

"I concur."

"It appears that we will have to let him into the Palace." The standing man said, looking directly at one of the walls. "Well, the Princess is in need of new servants constantly; he might be able to fit there."

"He does have some practice in that, Minister." The cloaked person sat still on the chair, watching the candle. "His time in the village, serving in the Inn has given him some practice in that area."

"You don't have to be so formal here in private, Luka." The man said to her, still staring at the wall. "Ah, nevermind. Then the only problem now is how to bring him into the castle." The man said, thinking. "The Princess is very reluctant to accept new servants into the castle; it'll almost be impossible to let him even through the main gates." He snapped his fingers as an idea came to mind.

"There's a Ball to be held soon, Luka." He turned to her. "You and Len will be invited to attend, as an Agent of the Kingdom of Yellow. Now that the old King is gone, we need not worry about Len losing his life, at least."

"That sounds like a good idea...Gakupo." Luka said, watching the candle.

"Using your status as a Government Agent, you'll be allowed in without a fuss." Gakupo said. "I'll arrange for special permission to let you, and anyone else accompanying you in." He turned to her. "Ah, but I need to warn you about this however; this Ball has a slight twist to it."

"One of those then, eh?" Luka asked him, standing up.

"Yes, the Princess wishes to show the Kingdom of Blue that our Kingdom is at least up to date with cultural fashions however ridiculous they may be." Gakupo said, turning to her. "It should be an interesting experience for everyone, since it's the first cross-dressing ball to be held here in the Kingdom of Yellow.

* * *

Len's got his memory back now! Wa~hoo! xD It's about time, huh?

Anyway, the storyline complication was about how the twins were going to meet; and since that part greatly affects this chapter, it couldn't be posted yesterday. I really wanna explain in more detail, but I'm afraid of giving too much of the story line away. Hehe! Then again, the last part that Gakupo said should give away a tad bit about the next chapter.

On another note, I seem to be drawing more Vocaliod fanart – I only posted one [I think] of them on my DA page but I've done so many doodles/actual pieces it's just beginning to get crazy xD

Thank you for all the hits (Over 200 hits now!), and the review! Please continue to support this story, and I'll try my best too!


	6. A Cruel Jest on Pitiful Twins

Hey people~ whats up? xDD

I just gotta say, sorry for last week, the whole temporary hiatus thing.. heh heh. That (hopefully...) won't be happening this week, but just to be on the safe side, the next update is going to be posted, earliest on Saturday next week. I will give you my solemn vow that I will not stop [attempting to] type until this story is finished!

Now, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter VI**:

**A Cruel Jest on Pitiful Twins  
**

_Written by Shyion_

Len wasn't there.

The beams of coloured light cut through the darkness, illuminating nothing but the empty rows upon rows of chairs that lined themselves, leading up towards the central altar at the opposite end of the Cathedral's Main Hall.

Luka walked slowly into the hall, the tapping of her feet reverberating against the stone pillars and bricks that made up the majestic building.

"I would assume you are looking for the young boy." A priest said, walking from one of the corridors at the back of the Cathedral to stand behind the altar, his bald head shining clearly in the light as he looked at her kindly. "You were the one who came in with him earlier, yes?"

"Yes, Father." Luka replied, walking towards the altar and stopping just in front of it. "Do you know where I can find him? I told him to wait within the confines of the Cathedral."

"I met him as you left earlier." The priest smiled, looking towards the glass stained windows. "A troubled child, certainly troubled by his fate and his current life." He looked at her again. "Yet I am sure he will be able to survive through it, I can see that he has some purpose set out before him, whatever that may be."

"Yes, he does, despite everything." Luka replied calmly. "He has a very strong spirit, despite everything."

"Regardless, he walked down that corridor, not too long ago." The priest pointed towards the opposite end of the Cathedral. "He probably went exploring, to take his mind off things."

"Thank you very much, Father." Luka bowed, before quickly moving towards the corridor.

The priest smiled as he watched her leave, wondering at what kind of fate did the young boy have in store for him, and why he seemed just so very, very familiar.

It wasn't long before Luka encountered the same courtyard that Len had entered, the sun still shining brightly, illuminating the marble statues of angels and saints that dotted the yard. And sitting at the base of one, its shadow covering him completely, sat Len, his hands pressed to his forehead, holding two things tightly.

Slowly, Luka approached him, unsure of what had happened, before stopping still at Len's words to her.

"Luka..." He began. "What is my name...?"

"Len Kagamine." Luka replied immediately, almost certain of what had happened.

"And for how many years...Have I been living, as Len Kagami, Luka?" Len asked again, his hands still covering his face.

"It has been seven years, my Prince."

Len responded with silence for a long period of time as he thought about what he had heard. "From what I remember..." He began suddenly from the silence. "Rin, my sister...How is she?" he asked again quietly.

"She is doing fine, my Prince." Luka replied, looking at him calmly. "As of current, she has taken over as Monarch of the Kingdom of Yellow in your father's stead, who had unfortunately passed on last year."

"I know, Luka." Len said. "I know. I remember what has happened from the past seven years." He looked up at the sky, tears still evident on his face and cheeks. "I've realised what I've done is not exactly most favourable. But I've also realised, the reason why I fought, and why I killed that day." He turned his face to her, a small period of silence before beginning again.

"Thank you, Luka." He said simply. "Thank you for taking care of me for the past seven years." He smiled at her through his tears, showing despite outward appearances his joy at finally rediscovering himself. "Thank you very, very much."

She knelt down directly in front of him, looking at the ground and at his feet, smiling as tears of her own began to dot the grass. "I am yours to command, my Prince." She said.

"I am sure you know what I would like to do now, Luka." Len said, looking at the open locket in his right hand.

"Yes, my Prince." Luka said, looking up to him. "I have already made arrangements for that."

Len chuckled quietly. "Thank you again, Luka. Thank you again." He looked skywards up to the sun, which was now covered behind a cloud, as the Cathedral's bells behind him rang the twelve o'clock hour.

* * *

Beams of light shone through the square gilded windows, illuminating the room in its full splendour, certainly something not to scoff at.

At the middle of the room's left, propped next to the wall, stood a four-poster bed, its finely-woven quilt made of silk both soft and smooth, its cooling colours illuminated within the light. An oaken bedside table stood at both sides, finely carved and finely engineered, resting upon the right table, a picture frame with the visage of a young girl, dressed in a small white Ball gown with yellow trimming, the table's left twin holding nothing above it. On the opposite end of the room sat a sturdy brick fireplace, a warm fire crackling within it to radiate heat and warmth throughout the room. And on its final wall, the room featured a grand oaken double-door, its framework a weave of plants and vines surely a visage of the oak's original lands. Two maids stood on either end of the door, waiting for their mistress' call, their bodies upright, their feet firmly planted on the soft velvet carpet that covered the room.

And at its centre, stood an oaken table covered in its entirety with swirling and beautiful carvings. Resting above this was a glass sheet, firmly embedded into the table to ensure any spills be easily cleaned, the glass allowing people to see the carvings even to the table's centre. Around it, were four elaborate ebony chairs, adorned with cushions that featured patterns ever so beautiful. Directly above it hung an elaborate chandelier, the candles within its holders dead in the light of day.

The quiet taps resounded throughout the silent room as a metal spoon tapped upon a fine ceramic plate, the Princess eating her meal quietly, savouring each and every bite made by the chef in her employ. Before her, stood her loyal minister, upright with his sword hanging by his side, a sheaf of papers in his right hand held over his stomach.

"How are the preparations, Gakupo?" Rin asked him.

"My Princess." Gakupo replied, glancing quickly at the sheaf of papers within his hand. "Things are going according to plan; the Ball will be held on time by the next coming month. Invitations have already been sent out to the various Lords and Ladies as per your request."

"Very good, Gakupo." She looked up and smiled at him gently. "Thank you for your work." She said simply, before turning back to her lunch. "I am sorry that you have to contend with this without any additional help, but our previous ex-head servant, just didn't really serve up to standards."

"Thank you for your praise." Gakupo replied, bowing gently. "Yes, I acknowledge that, my Princess, but rest assured it will cause no problems. After all, we can only have the best for you."

"True, very true, Gakupo." Rin chuckled softly. "Our chef staff has really outdone themselves this time, Minister. Will they be cooking for the Ball, come next month?"

"Of course, my Princess." He said. "I had specifically hired a specialist in a variety of cuisines for the Ball, and had asked each to cook in turn for my Princess, for herself to assess."

"Indeed, you are a minister that none but all would envy, Gakupo." She said, smiling at him. "Well, this man is definitely a pass for the Ball, that much is assured."

"I will take note, thank you my Princess." Gakupo bowed again.

She laughed happily. "You don't need to keep addressing me as Princess all the time in private, like here Gakupo. How many years have you been within our family's service anyway?"

"A long time, Princess Rin." He smiled at her.

"Ah, speaking of service actually." Rin looked up, her lunch finished as one of the two maids moved to collect the plates and move them to the kitchen. "How is our agent, Luka, doing?"

"She is doing well, Rin." Gakupo began. "Of course, as the head of our intelligence service, she is very busy, but she had contacted me recently to say that she will be attending the Ball in celebration of your birthday. I'm quite sure it was on the spur of the moment, considering everything."

"Excellent." Rin smiled. "It's been a long time since I've seen her; I wonder how she is doing...I haven't seen her since father was still alive."

"I am certain she will be happy to see you too, Rin." He said, smiling at her.

"And how are the preparations for my suit going?" She asked him. "I'm not really fond of this idea myself, but I feel that this should show the Prince of Blue something about the Kingdom of Yellow." She began to gaze dreamily at the ceiling and the chandelier.

"Yes, your suit for the Ball is being prepared on time." Gakupo said, looking at his papers again. "I must say that the designs are quite elaborate, and I do agree with your point; I too am not really one for this Ball either."

"Well, I won't spoil my anticipation, so I won't ask to look at the designs." Rin said thoughtfully. "I wasn't fully sure about how they would feel, attending such a large – scale Ball where so many people are coming. That's why I asked you last week about my idea."

"Yes, wearing masks to the Ball." He chuckled. "It will certainly save them some embarrassment if they happen to trip over due to the unusual dress-code. I have included that on the invitation."

"I have a feeling that they won't have any problems though." Rin waved her hand nonchalantly. "I heard these kind of things are quite popular nowadays in smaller – scale Balls, so I'm sure they have had a lot of practice. It's just to give them some peace of mind, until the end when they will have to remove their masks to show who they really are!" She laughed with glee at the thought, as Gakupo himself began to smile.

* * *

Not even a single moment of silence could be heard within the Grand Hall.

It's walls stood towering at least five times the height of an average person, its floor of an equally grandiose size, was laid carefully with a mosaic of shattered marble, its surface almost completely smooth to the touch, reflecting the bright flames of the dozens upon dozens of grand Chandeliers above, and the numerous candles that adorned the walls. One side of these in turn, was coupled together with titanic – sized gilded arched windows, their fine yellow satin curtains drawn apart to reveal the dark night, and it's ever – bright eye, the moon.

The opposite wall was accompanied by intricate, ancient tapestries that despite their age, their colour still proves true due to undoubtedly expensive maintenance. At the centre stood a raised platform, two hand-carved ebony staircases leading from its edges as the oaken door that stood on the platform remained wide open. Its two porters admitting guests as fast and as orderly as could be. Their entry was accompanied by soft music played by a highly structured orchestra that stood to one side of the room. Either side of this platform, and slightly more in front, stood tens of round tables, each having the capacity to seat ten people at once, all prepared for the coming Ball that would be the Princess' Birthday Party.

Dozens of Lords and Ladies milled about the room, both taking great pains to dress up exactly as would the opposite sex, their faces hidden by intricate masks, their clothing equally as elaborate, in as many styles as there are words within a dictionary, the flames from the chandelier and candles sparkling clearly. Even more numerous were the number of servants that stood to attention, lining up against the only free wall in the room. Behind them stood two grand oaken doors, undoubtedly leading towards the kitchens that would supply the food for this banquet.

"Indeed, you have done an excellent job, as always, Minister." The young princess addressed her minister as they stood in the corner of the room, watching the guests mill about.

Princess Rin, today to her Birthday, wore a full black, tailed tuxedo with matching black leather shoes, a white undershirt and matching fine white gloves that covered her hands. A fine golden yellow trim outlined the hem of both the coat and as well as the trousers she wore, a jabot collar hanging from her neck in matching yellow with the shoulder pads she wore. Her flaxen blonde hair was tied into a small ponytail that hung just below shoulder level, with a fine, sequenced golden spider mask covering her eyes.

"I am only doing my duty, Princess." Gakupo replied humbly, he too watching the crowd before him.

As a member of staff, he was allowed to remain in his original dress for the sake of ease of service. For today, he wore a full black robe accompanied by golden trimmings at its hem, the cloth tied loosely around his waist by a matching yellow sash. Underneath this he wore a bright yellow long-sleeved shirt with loose, draping black trousers as well as black leather shoes, his long purple hair tied together in a single tail.

"Today will certainly be a day the Lords and Ladies in attendance will never forget." He continued. "Rarely before has there been such a banquet at such a large scale, and with such a theme. I am sure that this will convince the continent of our Cultural development, as they put it."

Eventually, the hall was filled to capacity, and all were in attendance. As the Lords and Ladies, in their opposing dresses, suits and masks, were lead to their seats, the central yard of the hall was left open as the Princess, and Gakupo stepped up onto the platform, its oaken doors now closed shut. As their feet reverberated through the halls, the full attention of the Hall, and its residents, turned to them.

"My Honoured Guests." Rin began as she obtained silence from the room, Gakupo standing dutifully beside her. "Thank you very much for attending today. Much effort has been put into this to ensure you have an excellent evening tonight." She waved her hand over the room, as she continued speaking. "No expense has been spared, and I, as both your Princess and host, hope you enjoy this Ball, to celebrate my 14th Birthday!"

A wave of applause greeted her final statement from her audience, their faces hidden neatly behind a myriad of masks as food was brought out to them from the kitchens.

Such a variety was truly unprecedented indeed, the smells a blend of the most exotic that many of the guests had ever had for a single dinner. And to top it all off, this was only the starter course alone; soups, salads and breads, the main course still lingering behind in the kitchen where even more smells could be found, with even greater prospects of what laid in store for these Lords and Ladies.

As Rin surveyed her guests below, she was just about to turn around to enjoy the party herself, before noticing something very intriguing.

Each Lord and Lady had their own specific house colours that were related, but still different, to the Kingdom of Yellow's own royal Yellow and Black. And of course, everyone she could see, was dressed in their own specific house colours. Except for one girl, who was dressed in the same colours of the royal Yellow and Black.

Wait, it was a man underneath those clothes, she said to herself mentally, as she smiled slightly.

Indeed, this particular man, was dressed almost exactly as would a woman, his movements and actions coming to him so naturally that one would be hard – pressed to differentiate between a man or a girl!

He was dressed in a Ball gown that reached up until his ankles, yellow stiletto – heeled shoes showing slightly. The Ball gown was a mixture of black and yellow, its many layers below all coloured yellow with a black trim. It's final upper layer was coloured black, reaching all the way up to his chest in a Bertha collar style, the cloth hanging only on his upper arms. The upper layer also featured small images of yellow roses, carefully sewn on near the bottom of the gown, contrasting brilliantly with its black backdrop. At his waist, he had tied around a bright yellow bow turned to his back, its tails falling to just about his thighs. He also wore full black, Opera – length gloves that reached up above the elbows, until the biceps, leaving his shoulders bare. And finally, perched above his flaxen yellow hair that hung down to just above shoulder length, was a single black rose, held in place by a black hairband. For him, a simple white Venetian style mask covered the upper part of his face, the mask itself framed in black.

"Gakupo, who is that?" She asked her minister, standing beside her humbly. He opened his eyes, and followed her gesturing hand.

"I am afraid that I do not know, my Princess." He said to her. "The mask covers his face very well. Would you like to meet him later?"

"Yes, I would Gakupo." She said. "I need to know what house he is from, and why he is wearing the royal colours."

"Of course, my Princess." Her minister bowed, smiling slightly to himself.

* * *

It must have been several hours after the first course was served, and now many of the Lords and Ladies had stepped up to begin perhaps the most important phase of the Ball itself; the Dance. In the background, the servants and maids busied themselves with cleaning up the plates and dishes left on the tables, while the Orchestra continued with their playing, a new crew having finished rotating in specifically for this phase.

Princess Rin herself, having finished her own dinner, sat complacently at the table she was dining at, immediately below the raised balcony, at its very centre. She smiled as she watched the festivities continue in front of her, not really one to go up and ask the permission of any man to dance with her. She sighed.

"It's troublesome this way, really." She said softly to herself. "The men are supposed to ask the girls, but now, it's the girls who are supposed to ask the men!" She sighed to herself again. "If he were here, I wouldn't hesitate, but now..."

She turned her head to survey the Ballroom, before seeing Gakupo approaching, followed closely by another woman.

The newcomer was dressed in a dark grey greatcoat with yellow trimming, black trousers and leather shoes. Her mask covered the top half of her face, and was coloured yellow with the image of a black rose overlapping the left eyehole. But even so, only a few people sported the long pink hair as did this person.

"Luka." The Princess smiled as she stood up, shaking Luka's hand as she approached. "How have you been?"

"Very well, my Princess." She smiled at the small girl, holding her hand warmly. "I trust you have also been well over the past year?"

"Yes, I have." She replied simply. "Gakupo has helped me tremendously over the past year with a lot of things."

"That is good." Luka decided to sit down on one of the empty seats, wishing to hear more of Rin's life in the castle for the past year, the Princess herself doing the same.

A few hours had already passed before Luka stood up again, turning to look at the crowd of people in the Ballroom dancing to the soft music, looking for something.

"There is someone that I would like you to meet, my Princess." She said to Rin, helping her up as she found what she was looking for. "Ah, there he is."

Rin followed her gaze, eventually resting on a man coming towards them. It also happened to be the same person she had spotted before on the balcony as the festivities started.

She watched him intently as he approached and curtsied before them, albeit unstably, letting him stand up fully again before speaking.

"Might I ask," she began "who exists beneath that mask, so as to wear the colours of the Royal House of the Kingdom of Yellow?"

"My Princess." The man replied. "That in itself, is my gift to you as your birthday present today." He smiled gently before continuing. "I do not wish to spoil my birthday present right now and after all, are we not supposed to remove our masks at the end of this Ball?"

Rin sighed; she herself liked surprises, and was very curious as to who this person under the mask is. "Very well, but I will need a complete explanation for the colours you are wearing by the end."

"My Princess." The man said, curtseying again.

"Since you are here however," the Princess continued, "would you like to dance?" She said hesitantly, holding out her hand to him. As the host, she was expected to at least join in the festivities, no matter how awkward they might be, and since this man was here now, then why not? She thought.

"I would be honoured." The man took her hand gently as Rin looked him over again. He fit so well into his clothes, it really was impossible to tell whether it was a man or woman beneath the mask. She shivered at this thought, yet something nicked at her mind about this person.

The Orchestra was just finishing their current piece as the two stepped out onto the floor, as Gakupo approached the conductor, whispering something to him very quickly before leaving. The conductor himself nodded his head once as Gakupo left, before shifting through his notes in front of him for the next piece to play. Finding it, he signalled to the players in front of him for the piece to be played next. Soon all was ready, and the music began to play, a soft, JazzWaltz piece.

"As always, Gakupo." Rin whispered to herself as she and her partner set themselves up, dancing slowly to the music on par with the other guests.

A few minutes passed by as they danced with the movements of the hall and the music, Rin's feet moving of her own accord as she had been trained previously, her own conscious mind absent as she puzzled over this strange man in front of her.

"You are very good, my Princess." The man said softly as they danced. "Especially when considering that you are dancing as a man and not a woman."

"I can say the same thing about you." She said in reply, her mind pulled back from her thoughts. She looked at him carefully again, and noticed something else.

Around his neck hung a polished golden pendant, its engravings glittering in the light of the fires that surrounded them.

"This pendant..." She murmured, her feet still moving to the music as it approached closer to its finish.

"Do you like it, my Princess?" He said, smiling at her gently. "I'm aware that the Princess herself, has one?"

"Yes..." She replied softly. "Yes...I do..." She trailed off as the music finished, the final piece for the evening's festivities.

Taking their final steps, the two disengaged from each other, and as the man curtseyed to her, Rin watched him, her mind unsure of what will happen, her heart suspecting what shouldn't be possible.

"Honoured guests." A voice echoed through the hall as attention was diverted to Gakupo, who stood on the entrance balcony. "On behalf of my Princess, who is busy on the floor at the moment, we thank you very much for attending this Ball tonight, and hope very much that you have enjoyed yourselves." He bowed deeply, before standing up again. "Now, to end the suspense that I'm certain is plaguing you all, please all remove your masks, to show everyone your true faces, for laughs or praise, depending on your abilities displayed this night!"

Almost as one, the guests throughout the hall removed their masks, eager to see who their partners were, and almost as eager to show their own true faces, gentle laughter flooding the hall.

Practically ripping off her own mask, Rin stared intently at the man in front of her, desperate to know this man, this ghost, that stood in front of her.

"You couldn't be him..." She murmured, watching his hands move slowly to the clasp that held his mask in place. "He had died...seven years ago..."

The clasps undone, he slowly removed the mask, holding it in his hands as he brought it down to his chest, the thud of Rin's mask dropping onto the floor occurring simultaneously.

Smiling at her, was a mirror image of herself, exactly the same as her own reflection every time she looked in a mirror.

"This is my birthday present to you, my dear Princess, my Sister." The man said calmly as he leaned forward, clasping her right hand and bringing it up to his mouth, kissing it softly.

"Len Kagamine..." She whispered. "Are you a ghost, brother?"

"Nay, or else how could I be holding your hand?" He replied, laughing gently. "Or how could I have danced so gracefully with you, just moments before?"

"Then...You?" She stuttered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I am as real, as this day is real." Len replied, pulling a handkerchief from a pocket within the folds of his dress, dabbing them gently at her eyes. "I am as real as the sun, and as real as every man and women that stands in this room is. And most of all, I am as real as the fact, that you had a brother. A twin brother." He leaned back, watching her fondly.

"Why...How..." Rin stuttered, her hands tightening slowly on her brother's.

"I do not know, my dear sister." He replied her sadly. "But to make up for the last seven years, I give you my person, as my present to you." Now he brought his free hand on top of his sister's and his own, the two pairs clasping together tightly as he whispered softly to her:

"Happy Birthday, Rin." He smiled at her once more, tears filling both their eyes as the tolling of Midnight rang strong from the Cathedral, the soft murmurs of the men and women surrounding them, watching them, mingling with its crisp strikes.

* * *

15/11/09

Ahohohohohoho! (Sounds familiar? xD, the music inclusion should also ring a bell for those of you who are lifeless enough [me included]).

So, Rin and Len knows! And yes, I was tempted to leave it at a cliff hanger, but knowing that this update was late, I just KNOW some people _ would murder me if I even attempted it.

I thank you immensely for your support! 500 PV so far! I'm very happy that so many people like this story, please to continue to read and enjoy the story. Of course, you could also drop a review if you want to...*nudge, nudge*

Don't worry, if you don't, the story will still get updated regardless!

...I just realised I didn't put dates on the last few, but damn...it's been over a month now xDD


	7. Forever my Lady, as I am your Servant

Forgive meeeeeee........OTL

Well, at least it's up right? I suppose.... anyway, read and enjoy. Things are starting to speed up, and after a lengthy debate with my brother, I have deiced not to include any fillers. Yay for you guys xD

Lol anyway, Josephine should be coming in next chapter xDDDD... I'm debating on making 'Josephine' a roadroller instead of a horse xD what do you guys think? Any opinions?

Well, As a heads up, the whole Miku thing should happen in about 5 chapters or less =D.

* * *

**Chapter VII**:

**Forever my Lady, as I am your Servant  
**

_Written by Shyion_

The night breeze was cool, soothing. Cloudless, the full moon watched all below, bathing everything in a silver light.

It had been several minutes since the last guest for Princess Rin's birthday party had left to return to their city lodgings for the evening. Two figures stood, their hands clasped, at the entrance to the Palace Doors, its oaken doors still held slightly ajar as the heat wafted through from the candles and fireplace within.

"Rin, my sister," Len began. "I pray you have fared well over the last seven years, that I had not been by your side."

"I do not understand, Len." Rin replied. "Even after a year after the incident, Father kept up the fruitless search, each returning to reply that they could not find any trace of you nor your body…"

"Seven years ago, I was found washed up on the river by Luka actually, Rin." He answered. "Ever since then, I had been living a villager's life under her care, and as you can see, she has done a good job."

"I suppose all that matters is that you are here, Len." She nodded, before pulling him into a light embrace, smiling gently as he returned the sign of affection. "Welcome home, brother."

"It is good to be back, Rin." He said after a moment as they disengaged. "I must tell you this now; I have no wish to rule over the Kingdom of Yellow, but neither do I wish to leave you alone ever again."

"And you need not leave me alone, Len." She said earnestly, holding his hand tighter. "Come back to the Castle, Len. You need not take over my position, but just remain by my side. You have no idea how sad and dull the days have been without you by my side."

"As my Princess wishes, so she will receive." Len replied, smiling as he curtseyed with the dress he still wore. "Then I promise you this, Rin. When I return, I promise you that I will never leave your side, that I will do everything within my power to ensure your happiness, I will become your devoted servant, who lives, exists, to serve you and only you."

"Then…you still must leave me again, Len?" Rin murmured as he finished, staring at the ground.

"Yes, Rin." He answered standing upright. "There are several matters that I must attend to within the city, loose ends to tie and whatnot. But they will not take long, I will return to the Castle before long to serve."

"Must you, Len?" She insisted again, grabbing his hands. "Can you not solve them while within the doors of the Castle? Please, Len, don't leave me alone again, not even for a day. After seeing you here, so close to me, how can I stay calm knowing that you are just that close, yet at the same time so far away?" Small tears glistened within the moonlight as they fell silently down her cheeks.

"I must, Rin." He answered again simply, smiling sadly as he wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "I will be able to finish what I need to do faster, if I were to stay within the city. Besides, it will only be for a few days, and I will be at your side forever more from then onwards."

"But…Len…" She stuttered again, drying her tears, before looking at him again. "Alright then, if you must. I have waited seven years for your return. But I expect you to return within a week's time, or else I will order the city guards to drag you back here even if you haven't finished."

"I understand." He smiled at her again, before turning to the moon above. "I'd better get moving then." He said after a few moments. "Until a week later then, my Princess." And following that, he turned away, walking down the cobbled path to the waiting figure of Luka, the pair walking to the Castle entrance, before disappearing entirely.

"Shall we retire for the night then, my Princess?" Gakupo said, walking from the inside of the Ballroom.

"Yes, let us do so, Gakupo." She took a quick look at the suit she was wearing, before adding on. "Deliver this suit to Len, Gakupo. I have no wish to use it anymore, and I really do not understand why people like to dress this way." She turned and began walking into the Castle, knowing full well her loyal minister would follow behind her.

And slowly, the oaken doors closed shut, as the Night Watch stood silently on guard, accompanied only by the moon and the chill winds.

* * *

The Princess was having a fit.

The solid, white-painted granite walls of the study, accompanied by the bright yellow satin carpet and the mellow redwood bookshelves stood silent witness to the testament, the only sound other than screams was the crackling of the fireplace that occupied one end of the room.

It had been just two days after Princess Rin's birthday, and already her mood soured immensely.

"I had taken all the trouble to prepare such an extravagant Ball, embarrassed myself in front of all the guests by dressing up as a Man, yet all he could do is send me this useless apology note, arriving two days after the Ball?!" She shouted, stamping across the room and smacking the letter onto the study desk. "His excuse isn't even solid, just 'Court Business to attend to' he says! He didn't even take the time or effort to elaborate!"

Gakupo sighed quietly as he stood by the oaken door, his eyes half closed as he aimlessly watched the beams of light waft through the gilded windows that lined the far side of the room, content to bear his mistress' outbursts.

'It all began last year…' Gakupo thought to himself, sighing quietly. 'When she had first laid eyes on the Prince of Blue during her Coronation Ceremony, she had been just completely infatuated with him, doing every single thing imaginable to win him over, yet nothing seems to work.'

'Of course, such a match would be of the greatest interests and benefits for both of our Kingdoms…' he continued within his mind, closing his eyes fully to give his mind some peace and quiet from the Princess' shouting. 'But the Prince of Blue just doesn't seem interested at all in matters of state, more rather, he seems more intent on wooing as many girls as possible. From a low country girl to a Princess, he just doesn't seem to be able to draw any lines between them. To make matters even worse, now – '

"Are you listening to me, Minister!" He heard the Princess scream as his eyes snapped open to see a saucer plate being lobbed at his face.

With almost instinctive reflex he tilted his head slightly while bringing up his hand to catch the plate, just before it passed his head and hit the wall behind him.

"My apologies, Princess." He said calmly, bowing and bringing the saucer to his side. "My mind was immersed about the plans that must be prepared for this week. Would you like to retire for the day, my Princess? You are awfully agitated at the moment, and any work will just worsen your mood. We wouldn't want too many broken tablewares, as these are truly antiques passed from generations upon generations ago."

"Hmph." She pouted. "I don't really care about these, we could always get new ones anyway. Breaking a few might even better my mood a bit." She turned her back to him, looking out of the window.

"Your father certainly wouldn't appreciate that, my Princess." Gakupo said humbly. "Perhaps neither would your brother, when he arrives. He would likely treasure any sort of memory that he had from seven years ago…"

"Speaking of that, Minister." She said after a pause, her mind still filled with fiery anger. "Why did Luka not return with Len seven years ago? Why wasn't Father ever informed that Len had survived?"

"Well…" He began, a bit unsure. "Let me remember now…"

'She cannot know the real reason…' He thought quickly as he stroked his chin. 'It must never be told…'

"Considering the fact that there was an assassination attempt on his life," Gakupo said after a quick pause. "Luka considered it prudent to hide him for a while, away from agents of the Country of Red. She kept me informed, but only me, as both of us worried for the Prince's life, you see. If information got out that he was still alive, certainly his life would be at stake even today."

"So I assume that there are still Red dissidents within our country?" Rin said, still looking out of the window. "Like the man sentenced to execution a month ago?"

"Yes, my Princess." He said, exhaling quietly. "For all events and purposes, it may even be best to conceal his real name and heritage, when he enters the Castle. It will certainly help avoid issues of inheritance to the Crown."

"Very well." She turned her head to look at him sideways, before continuing. "I think I will be taking the rest of the day off. This has really fouled my mood." She grabbed the piece of paper from the desk, crumpling it up in her hands and tossing it into the fireplace. "What time is it, Minister?"

He pulled out a small pocket watch from his pocket, glancing at it quickly before replacing it. "It is almost snack time, my Princess." He reported. "Would you like to receive it here?"

"Yes, that would be fine, Minister." She said, watching the fireplace as Gakupo bowed once, leaving the room silently.

"What is he doing, I wonder…Why doesn't he seem interested in me at all?" He heard her murmur, as he closed the doors gently.

The purple-haired man sighed as the taps of his feet, muffled by the sound of the carpets, accompanied him towards the kitchens.

'I need to be thankful that she didn't throw her tantrum during the Ball itself.' He thought. 'And here I hoped that she had gained some control over herself. At least she can keep by etiquette and manners. But I sincerely do wish that she stop thinking everything should go her way. Maybe the Prince can change that.' He sighed again as he continued on his way through the corridors.

* * *

But in the end, her mood stayed sour for the entire week.

Gakupo stood outside of the oaken doors to his Princess' chambers, waiting for the maids to help finish with her dressing. He was dressed today in a simple black robe with yellow trimmings, a few yellow threads highlighted a intricate, yet faint, pattern upon his sleeves. A small brown belt tied the robe at his waist, a pouch attached to it as he held some papers in his hands, folded behind his back.

"She has refused to do much work for the past five days, and to make things worse the Prince has yet to even show up." He whispered to himself, remembering the events of the past few days, and the occasional cups, saucers and various other equipment sent at him. "I'll need to help the Prince learn how to avoid them as well..." His words were cut as the doors opened, Rin stepping out with three maids following closely behind her.

Today she was dressed in a black Ball gown with a Yellow trim along its edges, sporting a square collar with a large yellow bow placed upon its centre. Most unusually as well, the Princess also wore a white hairband that featured a rather large white bow, perched just at the centre of her head. The small golden necklace hung around her neck, its gold hidden in the dim light of morning.

"Good morning, my Princess." Gakupo said after a quick glance, bowing. "I hope that today you are feeling better?"

"Perhaps a little bit, Minister." She said, pausing and looking at him.

"That is good, my Princess." He said, standing upright. "There has been a lot of work accumulated over the past few days, and it is really best if we were to deal with it all as soon as possible."

"Oh, very well." Rin said, reluctantly as she began walking down the long corridor to the dining room for breakfast, knowing that Gakupo would follow suit. "Has there been any news from Len yet?"

"No, my Princess." He said, unsure of what will happen. "As of current, he is still within the City, carrying out whatever sort of business he need be on. The Suit that you had worn to the Ball has been delivered, as per your command three days ago. It took a little bit of time to find his residence."

"Good." She said plainly. "I hope to never see that thing in my wardrobe ever again, such an extravagance was all a waste anyway."

'She's still in a pretty bad mood.' Gakupo thought to himself silently.

"And, for Brother's sake, he'd better arrive today." Rin continued, her attention focused on the corridor. "If he doesn't arrive today, I'm in the right mind to order the guards to hunt him down and bring him back here, for being late."

"Isn't that a bit much, my Princess?" He said, slightly alarmed.

"Not at all." She said nonchalantly. "Brother himself said so, that he wishes to return to the Castle to serve me. And I expect all of my help to be at least punctual. He could probably learn a few things from you, Minister."

"Thank you, my Princess." Gakupo said humbly.

'She really is in a bad mood...' He thought, grimacing slightly.

"Well, what is the schedule for today?" Rin said, arriving at the doors to the dining room, which were opened promptly by two servants standing on duty.

"I have arranged for the hearings to be held within the Entrance Meeting Hall." Gakupo said, following her in and standing just in front of the oak doors as the closed shut. He reorganised the papers in his hand as he fished out a pocket watch from his pouch. "The first delegates will be arriving there in about another hour, at nine."

"Thank you, Minister." Rin said as she sat down at the table's head as servants came out to serve her breakfast for the morning, poached fowl with a light salad and toast, accompanied by black tea.

"The hearings will continue until Lunch, of which I had arranged for a four-hour break from eleven to three." He said after a bow. "They will continue after your scheduled afternoon snack until about six in the evening. The hearings might be able to be completed early, the plan that I have constructed is in case the hearings become long-drawn. After that, the work for today will be complete, and the evening free."

"There's a lot for today." She said, sighing as she sipped from the chinaware teacup. "But I suppose I'll have to get it done today. Especially since you've been asking me to do it for the past two days."

"I'm sorry that it must come to this, my Princess." Gakupo said, bowing in apology. "The usual schedule posts hearings for one or two hours after your afternoon snack, my Princess, but the build-up over the past few days must be dealt with as soon as possible."

'I had to practically grovel at her feet to get her to work yesterday...' he thought expressionlessly.

"I suppose there is no helping it." She said, eating her breakfast slowly. "The last time I did leave it alone, I had to work nonstop for several days."

"Yes, we do not want that happening again." Gakupo replied simply.

'That happened quite a few times actually...' He thought, as he began reading out a list of issues to be discussed today.

"Finally, there is an issue about drunkenness within the City, my Princess. This is causing a large number of unwanted mishaps during the evenings. This will be the last issue left outstanding." He finished, just as Rin finished the last bit of her breakfast with a last cup.

"But if Len really is late, I will have him hunt down and dragged back here." She said after finishing her last cup, dabbing her mouth with the handkerchief provided on the table. The princess gave a humourless laugh at her own attempted joke. "Ahohohohoho…"

After a pause she began again, "So, shall we start?" She said standing up, her hand outstretched for Gakupo to take.

At her cue, Gakupo came forward and took her hand gently in his, leading her out of the dining room to the Meeting Hall, the oaken doors to the dining room closing shut silently as the servants came to clean the table.

* * *

The Meeting Hall was indeed a very large room, not only both in width and length, but also in height. It occupied several floors on its own, with several large crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It was a place where meetings of the Princess could be conducted with other Lords and Ladies of the Kingdom, as well as delegates from various departments. But compared to other rooms of the Castle, this was built less for extravagance, and more for purpose. Yet, its impressive size is enough to make up for its lack of adornments.

It was quite a long room for starters, ceramic tiles covering the floor, with a golden, yellow carpet stretching from the entrance all the way to the opposite end, where a raised pedestal stood, a gilded throne residing upon it. From the entrance, the left side of the room was lined entirely with beautiful gilded windows, giving an excellent view of the city and the sunset in the late afternoons. All the windows were framed with red satin sheets, covering up any trace of the wall behind it to prevent echoes. The opposite side was occupied by a grid of at least a hundred balconies, each able to seat two people comfortably. These, would be occupied by Lords and Ladies present at the Castle. Each had red satin blinds that could be closed if the occupant Lord or Lady ever be absent.

For today, as so happened, all of these balconies were full, the Lords and Ladies having been called to the Capital by the Princess' Ball. Duty bound, all were in attendance, and no balcony was closed. None of the occupants could see the other, each balcony having a significant divide so each could not see the other; only the Princess could. This provided a good system of voting, each Lord or Lady occupying the balcony having their own personal flag-bearer, to cast votes upon any issues brought up.

Orange light filtered in from the gilded windows, the sun setting in the far distance as the Princess sat upright, with a bit of difficulty, upon her throne. Gakupo stood to attention behind to her left, watching the last of the delegates speak before the Princess.

'Today has been very quick actually, it's only five.' He thought to himself as he glanced very quickly at his pocket watch, before looking out of the window. 'But, the Prince has yet to arrive...' He then noticed a young man who had just entered from a small door, hidden under the closest balcony. He seemed quite anxious about something.

Glancing around, Gakupo then quickly made his way to the young man.

"What is it?" He said softly.

"Sir, there seems to be a young man outside the Palace, who wishes to come and see the Princess.' He began.

"What? A commoner?" Gakupo exclaimed incredulously. "Send him away already, do you know what time it is? We don't have time to listen to complaints at this time."

"Yes, but there's something strange about this one..." The man said, unsure of himself. "He refuses to go away, and to make things worse..." He leaned closer to whisper something in his ear, Gakupo's eyes widening as he heard.

"Very well then, send him in." He whispered back. "He does have an appointment, my apologies." The young man bowed and left through the door again as Gakupo returned to the Princess' side.

"Yes, my Princess." The delegate had just finished, bowing his head. "The curfew will be instated come next week; all pubs and restaurants will be disallowed from serving liquor or any other form of such drink by six in the evenings."

"Alright, now that is settled," The Princess said, "You may leave now." The delegate bowed, before turning sharply and leaving the hall.

"That should be the final issue for today, correct, Gakupo?" She said, as the oak doors closed shut.

"There is one more that has arisen, my Princess." The man said. "It has come...rather, unexpectedly."

Rin sighed exasperated. "Fine, show the man in." She said, leaning on her left fist as she rolled her eyes.

Gakupo snapped his fingers, the sound carrying to the opposite side of the hall, where two servants opened the doors, admitting in a very young man.

He was dressed in a black cloak which managed to cover his entire body and face. There was only a small gap, from where the strap of a leather bag hung across his shoulders originates from. But the cloak itself was of evidently low quality, something that the nobility such as those who inhabited the room would normally wear.

He stepped quickly up to the pedestal, before stopping at its feet, bowing and saying out clearly at the same time, "Forgive me, my Princess. I am a bit late, am I not?"

"Indeed you are." Rin said haughtily. "And who are you, anyway? What business do you have here?"

"My business concerns you, my Princess." The man said, standing upright. Slowly, he pulled out from under the hood a golden necklace, the gold shimmering brightly within the orange light of the setting sun. Rin's eyes, opened visibly at this, her hand reaching to grasp the golden necklace around her own throat.

Carefully, he removed the cloak's hood, revealing his face. "Len Kagami, at your service, my Princess." He said smiling at her.

The Princess brightened visibly at this, a smile forming on her lips.

"You certainly took your time." She said, sitting upright again.

"My apologies, once again." Len said. In a single motion, he unclasped his cloak and folded it over his left arm, revealing the clothes he wore beneath, the exact same that Rin had wore during the Ball a week ago. A wave of murmurings echoed through the hall as the Lords and Ladies puzzled over this, taken completely by surprise. They had all seen the Princess wear the same clothes, why does this man now have them?

"You are forgiven." Rin said, a joyful smile playing on her lips. "But only this once, remember." She stood up as he knelt before her. "Today, you are accepted into the Palace, Len Kagami. I expect you to be standing beside me in two days time as my valet, tomorrow I will leave you to familiarise yourself with the Castle."

"I need not that luxury, my Princess." Len said, his face focused on the pedestal. "I will be ready by tomorrow morning."

"Very good." She said, smiling again before turning her head slightly. "Gakupo, show him his room."

"Yes, my Princess." He bowed once, before walking forward and placing a hand on Len's shoulders, who stood up and followed him through the small door under the balconies.

"Everyone," Rin said, now addressing the Lords and Ladies present. "Today's session is complete, you may all leave now." Leaving at that, she walked forward and through the oaken doors of the room's entrance, accompanied by two maids. And as the oaken doors creaked shut, the murmurs of the Lords and Ladies faded as they too left the room.

* * *

I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist putting in the intro for Daughter of Evil. You know, the whole "Ahohohohoho! So, Shall we start?" bit.

Anyway, the next chapter WILL be coming up by this Sunday since now i don't have anything else to do for the rest of the week. And I got some new incentive to finish this off...You'll see what that is later...muahahaha.....

11/25/2009


	8. The Servant of Evil, has Arrived

**The Servant of Evil, has Arrived  
**

**Chapter VIII  
**

_Written by Shyion_

He awoke at six in the morning, to the bright light of dawn.

His eyes slowly opened as he sat up, to survey the room that he was provided with.

As the Princess' personal Valet, he was given a room of better quality than those of normal servants, very close to the Princess' chambers themselves.

It was a simple room compared to a lot of the Castle, a plain red carpet lining the floor, with a large fireplace on the opposite side of the room that his bed was situated. The bed itself was nothing extravagant, the mattress and pillows made of cotton. As he sat up on the bed, he stared out of the several gilded windows that lined the wall directly across from him, watching the sun rise slowly. He turned his head to look at the mahogany desk that was to serve as his workstation, for as the Princess' Valet, he needed to take over some of Gakupo's duties of arranging timetables for Rin.

He swung out of the bed, reorganizing the quilt and fluffing up the pillow before he got out of his white pyjamas, and into his staple black trousers, white undershirt and yellow-trimmed, black waistcoat that hung inside the large wardrobe that inhabited the final wall of the room. Next to it he carefully arranged his Jabbot collar in front of the mirror, and smoothened out any ruffles in his clothing. Satisfied, he then put on his black leather shoes, before grabbing his pocket watch on the mahogany desk.

"6:30." He said to himself. "One more hour left." Quickly, he made his way out of the room and through a hidden entrance, to the catacombs within the castle, of which the servants used to get around unnoticed.

'I still remember this place, like the back of my hand.' He thought to himself, smiling. 'We used to do this often; run around these catacombs for fun to annoy the maids.'

Soon, he reached a doorway leading to the kitchens that he stepped through quickly, entering the crowded bustle and hustle of the Castle's kitchens.

"This is still the servant's kitchens." Len said to himself, remembering. "The royal kitchens should be somewhere..." He looked around very quickly, finding the door that he can still remember. "There."

He weaved his way through the chefs and servants that were already awake, catching a few glances as a new face among them. But they were already busy enough; they didn't pay him much attention as he went through the doors to the royal kitchens.

Compared to the servant's kitchens, the royal kitchens were far cleaner and more organised, the floor of white ceramic tiles and all the utensils carefully managed and handled. A handful of chefs worked here, instead of the crowd outside, and only a few servants other than himself inhabited the room.

"Ah, you must be the new guy." One of the chefs said to him as he entered, placing a few dishes into a drying bay. "You caused quite a stir among the castle yesterday with your sudden appearance." He dried his hands and made his way over.

"Yeah, I know," Len said, laughing gently, "But that was the only way that I could think of."

"Well it certainly got attention!" The servant said, laughing. "In any case, you know what you need to do, right? The Minister should have informed you yesterday."

"Yes, he did." Len said, nodding his head.

"Good, that saves time." He glanced around at the other chefs working in the area. "The Princess' breakfast should be ready in a few minutes, you can pick it up over there when it's done." He pointed to a table on the far edge of the kitchen, next to a large oak door that likely led to the private dining hall. "But for now, you need something in you; have a seat, your breakfast is ready." He gestured to the clean, long oak table at the room's centre, where a single plate consisting of a boiled egg, two slices of toast and a small variety of spreads occupied one of the seating positions. A jug of water and a mug accompanied it as well.

"Thank you very much." Len said as he sat down to eat, devouring his breakfast at an amazing rate. Throwing down a last gulp of water, he sighed as he wiped his lips with a tissue. "That hit the spot." As he stood up, he heard his earlier companion shout.

"Oi!" He shouted, slightly annoyed. "Why didn't any of you louts tell me the food was ready?" He was pointing to the preparation table, where a metal tray stood with food placed upon it.

"Sorry, boss." One of the other chefs said, turning to face him, smiling sheepishly. "We're a wee bit busy here."

"Pft." Len's companion said, folding his arms. "Nevermind then, we're wasting time." He turned to Len before continuing. "Yeah, I'm the head within these kitchens, but right now that's something we can discuss later. The Princess wants her breakfast in her chambers this morning, so you'd better get moving!" He slapped Len heartily on the back, grinning widely.

"Alright, I'll take it from here." Len said smiling back. He quickly crossed the room and picked up the tray, at the same time grabbing a white towel that he slung across his shoulder, exiting from the door that stood next to it, and made his way quickly to the Princess' chambers.

Eventually, Len stood outside of the grand oak doors leading to his sister's chambers, the soft morning light illuminating his figure, and the tray carefully balanced on his left hand, which he held level to his chin.

"The Princess is to be woken up at about 7:30 in the mornings." Len whispered to himself, recounting the schedule that Gakupo had given him the previous night as he settled in. "She is then to change, and receive breakfast in her chambers this morning." He looked at the tray, a fine chinaware teapot, cup and saucer accompanied a plate with a metal covering, sitting placidly upon the tray.

"The schedule for today…" he glanced at the sheet of paper which he held in his right hand, Gakupo's writing showing a strict timetabling. He nodded his head as he folded the paper in half, placing it in his trousers pocket and taking out in turn his pocket watch. "About time now."

Slowly, he opened the doors to the chambers, peering in.

The warm gold light filtered into the room, illuminating it through the gilded windows. But the Princess' bed itself was protected from its light, the blinds of the grand four-poster bed drawn against the sunlight.

Quietly, he stepped into the room and placed the tray upon the table at its centre. Then, he moved towards the large wardrobe sitting in the corner of the room, opening it and sifting through the dozens of dresses that resided within.

'I'll need to find clothes suitable for her schedule today.' He thought to himself through the ruffling of clothes. 'These two should do...' he took out an orange dress with black trimming and a yellow bow tied around its waist, as well as a set of riding clothes.

Gently, he folded them over his left arm as he closed the door and approached the sleeping Princess, stopping at the bedside.

"My Princess, it is time to wake up." He said softly as he leaned forward, placing a light kiss on her cheek.

Slowly she opened her eyes, turning to face his smiling face.

"Good morning, Len." She said, smiling in return after a brief pause.

"I trust you slept well?" He said as he stood upright again. "Breakfast is ready, and time is ticking, the first issue on the schedule for today will begin at nine." He turned around as he heard the oak doors opening, admitting in three maids, undoubtedly here to help Rin dress.

"Ah, there you are." Rin said, sitting up in the bed and rubbing her eyes. "Come now, help me dress." Len stepped forward and gave the maids the clothes that he had picked out earlier as Rin slowly swung out of the bed, the white, silk nightgown making not a sound as she stood up. "Set up the partitions; I wish to speak with Len while I dress." She said as she stepped forward.

The maids looked at each other for a brief period of time, before two moved to open the wardrobe again, taking out three partition sets, which the set up around the wardrobe, closing off any prying eyes.

As Rin stepped behind the partitions, Len began making the bed, replacing the quilts as well as fluffing up the pillows. But even after he had finished, Rin had not said a word to him. Smiling, he did not waste any time, moving instead to the tableside where he grasped the handle of the teapot, pouring out the tea within into the cup with incredible accuracy as he stretched the tea, cooling it to a manageable temperature; a skill that he had learned in his time at the inn. Afterwards, he arranged the table and silverware, placing the food and drink as was necessary on the table.

As he finished, the maids had just begun packing up the partitions, Rin standing still as they worked around her, dressed in the riding clothes that Len had picked out for her.

"You look beautiful today, my Princess." Len said humbly, bowing as he held the white towel over his left hand. "As I am sure you have always, even before my arrival."

"Thank you very much, Len." She said, looking at him. "Leave us now," She said to no one in particular, but immediately the three maids filed out of the room, leaving the two siblings together.

"Your breakfast is ready, my Princess." Len said after a brief pause after the oak doors closed behind him. Turning to the table, he lifted the covering of the dish, revealing breakfast for the day. "Potato pancake and cheese omelette, coupled with red tea. Please enjoy." He said, placing the cover on the metal tray and gesturing for Rin to sit down.

As she did so, Len slowly pushed her chair in, moving to stand to the right side of the table, waiting for any further instructions.

"You certainly have accustomed yourself quickly, Len." Rin said as she began to eat. "You have performed admirably well for your first day so far."

"Of course, my Princess." Len said humbly, closing his eyes. "What would you do to me if I couldn't?"

Rin laughed at this. "Certainly, you wouldn't be getting off very lightly, Len."

"I expected as much." Len said, smiling. "Well, regardless, today's schedule." He pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket with his right hand.

"Go on." Rin said as she sipped from her cup.

"Your morning riding session is scheduled to begin at nine-thirty this morning, my Princess." He began, holding the paper with his left hand as he refilled her cup with his right. "Lunch begins at eleven-thirty, the chefs are busy downstairs preparing for this. From there until three when you receive your afternoon snack, your day is free. Afterwards, are the hearings for the day; Gakupo states that there are only a few hearings today, and that they should be completed in about an hour's time. After this, Dinner will be held at six in the evening. Afterwards, the day is free, my Princess."

"Alright, thank you very much, Len." She said as she continued eating.

"That gives us about an hour and a half from now, my Princess." Len continued, glancing at his pocket watch as he folded the paper.

"Alright." Rin replied, focused on her breakfast. "While I eat, could you please tell me, what had happened over the past seven years. What did you see, experience, outside of the Castle?"

Len smiled gently at her. "I presume that is why you wished to receive breakfast here, instead of the dining hall?"

"Yes, Len." Rin said, smiling happily at him.

"Well, where to start..." Len said, scratching his head as he stood upright. "There's just so much to tell." He laughed at this, before beginning.

* * *

The oaken doors opened slowly by the two guards standing on duty, admitting in the bright light of the morning sun, mingling with the deep green of the Castle courtyard's miniature forests. And slowly, out from the doors emerged Len, guiding Rin gently by his hands out.

"Here we are, my Princess." Len said as he stopped, releasing her hand gently. "The Castle courtyards."

"Yes, you do remember your way around very well, Len." Rin said, smiling at him. He bowed briefly, before making his way to the stables, a short distance away.

Soon, he returned with two stable boys in tow, one guiding a beautiful black horse across the green field towards the entrance, and the other carrying an assortment of riding equipment.

"Josephine." Rin said affectionately as they approached. She then walked forward towards the horse, caressing it's nose gently. "Father bought her for me four years ago, Len." She said after brief silence. "She has grown a lot since then."

"She is indeed magnificent." Len said, nodding his head.

Soon afterwards, a man approached the two from the stables, himself riding atop a brown horse. He was dressed in simple riding attire, and soon stopped in front of Rin and her horse.

"My Princess." The man said, managing a bow atop of the horse. "Today, I will be your instructor for your riding lessons."

"Yes, of course." She said, before turning to Len. "Bring the step-up."

"At once." He said, snapping his fingers to one of the stable boys, who immediately went to work. One prepared the saddle upon the horse, and another the step-up, Len watching attentively with a small smile on his face as the lesson began.

* * *

"This cherry tree, how long has it been here now?" Len asked his sister, as he slowly brushed her hair.

They sat outside in the courtyard, lunch having finished an hour ago, Rin was sitting upon a oaken garden chair, in the middle of the courtyard. Len as such, knelt behind her, gently brushing her hair. This courtyard was much smaller than the one that Rin had practiced in earlier, the only thing growing here was a cherry tree and the grass beneath their feet.

She now wore the dress that Len had picked out for her this morning, as well as the white hairband she wore the day before, having changed into it after lunch, and a quick bath. Staring silently at a flower that Len had picked up for her during the time he was waiting, she nodded her head.

"It was here long before either of us were born, do you not remember, Len?" She said simply.

"Yes, I do." He said, smiling. "I remember it, even seven years ago. It was magnificent in bloom even then, as I am sure it will be now when it comes to season."

"Many things have happened over the past seven years without you around, Len." Rin said, sighing as she relaxed, feeling the brush rub through her hair. "Having you around makes me feel so much better."

"I thank you, my Princess." Len said, keeping his strokes constant. "You were very good earlier, with Josephine, I mean. I'm sure I could never be as good as that, no matter how many times I tried."

"I've been practicing a lot." She said, smiling. "Josephine has been a great companion of mine, since you were gone."

"Yes." Len said, slightly solemn now. "I hope that you may forgive me one day."

"Well, we should just leave what's in the past, in the past." Rin said, turning her face slightly so she can see him. "At least, you are here with me now." She finished, smiling.

"Of course, my Princess." Len said, smiling back. "I had promised you already, and I will promise you, again." He placed the brush on the grass as he circled around his sister, kneeling before her and placing her right hand on his forehead, his face watching her feet.

"My Princess, my dearest sister." He began after a brief pause. "To atone for my sin, of leaving you alone in the world for the past seven years, I vow here and now, upon my life. Wherever you may be, in whatever Kingdom you may be in, in whatever time that you may live in, you will always be seen smiling. For I am your servant, as well as your brother, ever since we were little. I will do everything in my power, to keep you safe, to make you smile no matter what happens. Even if the whole world were to be arrayed against you, I will still stand there, true to you, right beside you. Even if I must, I will kill for your sake. For you, I will even become a demon, for you. And only, for you." He said these words without looking up, his face hidden from his sister's by his mass of blond hair, and his ponytail.

Silence reigned over the courtyard, Rin watching him, he in turn watching her feet, the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the only sound to break the silence.

"Upon your life, my brother?" Rin finally asked.

"Yes, no matter what happens." He said, still holding his face downwards, his sister's hand toward his forehead. "All that I will ever ask of you, for my undying loyalty, is your smile."

"Very well, my servant." She said as she freed her hand, placing her other hand under his chin, gently lifting his face up. "I expect you to hold your promise then, my dear brother."

And there, upon her face, was the most beautiful, most radiant smile that Len had ever seen so far in his life. A feeling of joy, unlike any other that he could ever remember, flooded through him at the sight. Truly, there could be no better payment that he could ask for.

"Of course, my Princess." Len finally said after watching his sister's face for a long period of time, a large smile erupting, as did tears of joy, slowly streaming down his face, the first few tears that he had shed ever since the day he had arrived in the city.

* * *

The line of servants stood attentively, waiting for their mistress' call, by the wall of the private dining hall, opposite them the gilded windows that showed the slowly fading sun, its bright orange glow leaving a final gift to the world.

The Princess had already sat down to begin her dinner, consisting of a potato salad as a starter and a serving of chicken casserole, carefully cooked to preserve taste, and carefully measured to preserve her figure. Len himself stood by her side, eyes closed and hands folded neatly in front of him as he carried a metal tray.

"It is awfully quiet here." The Princess commented in passing as she savoured her salad.

"If you wish, my Princess," Len began, "I can play some music to liven up the atmosphere a little bit."

"To begin with, how good are you anyway?" She asked, looking at him briefly.

"I'd say, that I'm a bit better than average." Len said humbly. "I haven't had a chance to practice since I've came to the city."

"Well, it's not as if there's anyone else that's willing to play." The Princess said, giving a small shrug. "Father fired the last Palace musician, and any that we approach now refuse to serve for more than a day. You do remember the way, yes?"

"Of course, my Princess." And without another word, he left her side, leaving by the kitchen entrance and grabbing a candelabrum as he left.

Quickly he made his way through the servant's catacombs, knowing well that within the Castle, there existed a special room. The only thing within the room being a piano, and the curtains that shrouded its walls. Quite a dark room, but it has to be, situated at the very centre of the Castle.

Very soon he found his way to his destination, and pushed the doors open.

Within, illuminated by the light of the candelabrum, stood a Grand Piano accompanied by a Harpsichord at its centre, a ring of chairs circling them at the room's round perimeter. Above the pianos was installed a large grille, to allow for good air circulation for those within this room, at a place where hardly any air can enter. By the sides of the piano and harpsichord, lay dozens of wooden musical instruments of a variety of types, ranging from strings to woodwind.

Slowly, he made his way towards the piano, rubbing a hand affectionately over its polished, dark woodworking. After a brief pause as he re-familiarised himself with it, he placed the candelabrum onto its surface, before taking a seat. Opening it, he was mildly surprised to find that the hinges made barely a creak, having being kept well oiled and maintained over the past seven years.

"I would have expected this room to fall into obscurity." He whispered to himself, running his fingers against the white keys of the piano. He turned as he heard the doors opening gently, admitting in Gakupo.

He was dressed in an unbuttoned dark red coat with yellow trimmings, a white undershirt and a matching waistcoat beneath. A black Jabbot collar in the same style as Len's hung around his neck, while also wearing black leather shoes and matching trousers .

"Good evening, Gakupo." Len said, standing up briefly. "What brings you here, at this time?"

"Prince." He said simply, bowing. "I heard that the Princess wished to listen to some music, and that you were sent." He glanced quickly around the room. "Had she told me previously, I would have put a lot more work into finding a new musician for her."

"I'm sure she is just testing me, on my first day." Len said, smiling. "But regardless, for what reason do you seek me out?"

"Well, firstly I came to give you a sample of music that I think you, and the Princess, will find most enjoyable." He said, walking over and giving the folder to Len.

"Very good, thank you very much." He said, taking the folder and examining the sheet music within.

"Also, I came to play myself." Gakupo said, looking around the room.

"Really?" Len said, slightly amazed, closing the folder.

"Of course." He stated. "I am the Princess' Minister. If I couldn't balance time out well enough to leave me free time to practice, then I would be buried under work, and fired a long time ago!"

"Haha, of course, Gakupo." He said, laughing. "Well, please choose your instrument. Let us make music that will reverberate throughout the Castle!"

"Of course, my Prince." Gakupo said with a smile, bowing and taking a seat at the Harpsichord, placing the candelabrum in his hand onto its surface. Len opened the folder and chose at random one of the two pieces within, giving one to Gakupo and another to himself.

For a few moments, both prepared in silence, Len tuning the piano and warming up his fingers, Gakupo doing the same to his own. Eventually, both stopped, looked at each other, and nodded. Then, their attention turned to the sheet music that both had placed before themselves. And both, began to play.

Slowly, the music began, Gakupo beginning first by playing a soft repeat of the same notes several times over, before Len joined in on cue with the sheet music, the sudden union of the two pieces of music rippling out. Obvious from this point on, that the Grand Piano was meant to be the more dominant of the two, the Harpsichord playing a background role.

But not only was the music heard within the room and nearby, the duet of the Grand Piano and Harpsichord could be heard throughout the Castle. From the lowest kitchens and quarters, to the highest towers and halls, the music played by the two could be heard. For the room, was built in anticipation for such a purpose; the grille above the room was packed with dozens of vents, each leading to an independent part of the castle so that any music played could be heard echoing in its full splendour, throughout the castle halls.

The Princess herself could hear the music, far away in the dining hall. Stopping mid-way through eating the main course, placing her utensils down upon her plate, she closed her eyes to listen to the piece of Classical music, that Len and Gakupo played for her enjoyment.

"My Lady, does the dish not suit your tastes?" One of the servants asked her, coming closer.

"No, it is beautiful." Rin said in reply, referring to the music as her mind was washed in its beauty.

A few minutes passed, the music switching between an active chorus where the duet could be heard, and a occasional Grand Piano solo for what seemed to be very important parts of the song, before a sudden silence cut the music. The servants suddenly looked at each other; what had happened to the players? For what reason did the music stop? What would the Princess do, enjoying the soft music as she did, to the sudden cut off?

But all she did, was keep her eyes closed, waiting for the music to start again.

And start again it did, the music peaking suddenly for a time, before it died down again, replaced by a soft tune more like that from before. Then, as suddenly as before, the music replayed its chorus piece, a mix of both the lively crescendo and the soft tune that made up much of the piece. Gradually, the music built itself up until its true maximum point, its maximum apex, before cutting off. A few, very brief moments passed without a sound, until as if by cue, suddenly the church bells rang the nineteenth hour, to fill in the silence.

And after its first ring, the final piano solo began, this time faintly, so very, very softly, blending in beautifully with the ringing of the bells as they faded in the distance. After a few brief moments, the music picked up in pace until it reached its usual level, before dying out, finally ending with a deep, low, yet soft, _dong_.

"Magnificent." Was all Rin could say after a few moments, opening her eyes and looking at her food, which had grown cold while she had listened. "Take the rest away, I've had my fill." She said to the servants, wiping her mouth and standing up. "I'm returning to my rooms; three of you accompany me to help me dress, and the rest, send Len to me after he has finished his evening meal." With that, she left, three maids and two servants following suit, the servants both carrying two candelabrums each to light the way.

"A truly beautiful piece, Gakupo." Len said as he finished, his fingers lifting from the last low note played. "You have excellent tastes in music."

"And so did you, my Prince." Gakupo said, standing and bowing to him. "This was your favourite piece as a child."

"Really? I cannot remember." Len queried, closing the piano. "And Gakupo, you need not call me by Prince anymore; I'm ranked lower than you now actually." He finished, laughing.

"I am duty bound to refer to you by that title, my Prince." The purple haired man replied, closing the harpsichord. "At least, in private."

"Ah well." The young blond replied. "Regardless, that Classical piece was truly beautiful, thank you for reintroducing it to me. I suppose, not all of my memory has returned, yet."

"Let us just hope that it will return in time, my Prince." Gakupo replied, smiling at him as he opened the door for Len.

* * *

"You did an excellent job today, Len." Rin complimented him, placing her white queen onto the chessboard. The Princess was dressed in her nightgown now, playing a last game of chess before retiring for the evening.

"It is my duty to serve, my Princess." Len said, fingering the white pawn he had taken the turn before, before moving his black rook.

"Well, in any case, thank you for your work today, Len." She said as she made her move. "Especially for the piece that you played for me during dinner. But I heard a second instrument playing in the background, a harpsichord. Who was that?"

"Gakupo, my Princess." He replied, taking a long pause before making his counter move. "He is very good as well."

"I expected as much." She said, taking another pause to make her move. "He had stood in some times in the past year to play a piece or two. But your own skill amazes me, Len. I could not have imagined that you could play so well, despite the seven years gone by without the Imperial Tutor."

"There was a piano at the inn." Len commented as he made his move. "I had a lot of time to practice, and I provided live entertainment for guests, for a little bit of extra pay, of course."

"I see." Was all she could say, before making her final move. "Checkmate, brother."

"Well, despite everything, my chess skills have gone down the ladder." He said, laughing after taking a look at the board.

"It was a good game, anyway." Rin replied, smiling at him.

"Ah well." Len said, getting up and glancing at his pocket watch. "It's time for you to go and sleep as well." He added, replacing the watch.

"What time is it?" She asked him as she too stood up, looking out of the windows of her chambers.

"Nine-fifteen, my Princess." He said as he packed up the chess set. As he finished, he suddenly remembered something. "Ah, yes, I have something for you, my Princess." He left the set on the table as he crossed to a table that stood by the door. "The week while I was gone, I was also searching for something to give you. And I found this." He picked up a leather bag, opening it and bringing its contents to the table for Rin to look at.

It was a beautiful, hand-carved oak music box, its lid inlaid with mother-of-pearl depicting a beautiful meadow of flowers and a single tree standing at its centre. Its four sides were carved out to depict a weave of vines and a variety of animals that made their homes within. And raising itself, were four little metal squares attached to each corner of the box's base.

"A music box that I had found in the city, my Princess." Len said, placing it gently on the table. "It was in a lot worse condition than this, but I fixed its mechanics, and also brought it to an inlayer who remodelled it for me. This is the reason why I took the week before returning."

"How does it work?" Rin asked, placing a hand on it and gazing at it, entranced.

"Just wind here." He leaned forward, twisting a spring at its back eight times, the creak of the mechanism within resounding at each twist. And after a few moments from release, the box began to play.

The pure tone that resounded from it almost immediately soothed both siblings as they watched, the soft chimes of the bells within reverberating throughout the entire room.

"This song is reminiscent of the one played at the Ball..." Rin whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and listened. Stepping forward after a few seconds, Len took her hand and slowly led her to her bed, still listening to the song played by the music box as Len helped tuck her into bed. Almost immediately afterwards, the tune from the music box transitioned into another, different yet soothing all the same.

"Now this...is reminiscent of the piece you played..." Rin said, snuggling into the bed as she watched her brother sit down on the bedside.

"I didn't really realise that, when I played." Len replied, kissing her lightly on the forehead before sitting upright. "The music box will help you sleep during the evenings, my dear sister. I've listened to it send me to sleep countless times before I arrived at the Castle."

"Thank you, very much Len." The young Princess whispered, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.

"Sleep well, Rin." Len said in reply as he caressed her cheek for a few more moments, listening as the music box cycled through another song, this time a true lullaby song that almost sent him to sleep standing. But just as he was, the music box transitioned again, this time to a slightly more upbeat, yet soothing song, before dying out, it's winding used up. Then, stealthily he stood up from the bedside, moving to grasp the candelabrum left by the servants, and walking softly to the room's exit. But before he left, he took one last look out of the windows, watching the moon as it was slowly engulfed by a cloud, leaving the only source of light in the room his single candelabrum.

"Truly, I will do anything for you." He whispered as he watched the moon disappear. "Truly, I will become the devil, if it is to make you happy." He chuckled to himself quietly, before leaving the room, closing the door behind him with a gentle thud.

* * *

Yay, next chapter, and I even managed to keep it on schedule! Yay for everybody! \(^o^)/

Apologies to all those who want other Vocaloids introduced, I'm afraid that I will have to steer clear of that. After lengthy discussions with my brother, I find that it'll make the story too complicated, especially with what we have planned later.

Since nobody gave any opinions, Josephine's stuck as a plain old horse now T.T, & I could barely think of anything else to feature her with, except for one tiny, itsy bit here...T.T Ah well, the focus of the story isn't about horses anyway, it's about the tragedy between twins! =D (For some reason, I find Asians love their tragedies, & Westerners love their happy, romantic endings XDD no offence guys...)

I don't know if you can guess the songs referenced in this chapter by my crappy description (don't try describing songs in words...the only way you can do that is by writing the lyrics...especially the songs mentioned above...they are just too beautiful...)

Anyway...The song Len played during Dinner is what is meant to be the Classical version of the Servant of Evil, and the music box is playing a compilation of all four songs, Daughter of Evil, Servant of Evil, Regret Message, and Re_Birthday. I'm listening to it even as I type, it's just sooooo...ack, I just can't put it into words... You can find both on Youtube somewhere. I'd recommend you to listen to them, if you haven't already (which I doubt...)

And yeah...a VERY late author's note, but actually the song that I tried putting in at Rin's B-day party was also the JazzWaltz version of Daughter of Evil. And also, remember all the way back, somewhere in like, chapter 3, where Len wound up the music box there, I was trying to reference how the original Servant of Evil song starts off with the sound of a winding music box as well, before playing a light version of Daughter of Evil...Don't know if anybody got that, but yeah, I tell thee now XDDD (Better late than never...right? Right? . )

11/29/2009


	9. Raising the Bar, Raising the Taxes

**Raising the Bar, Raising the Taxes  
**

**Chapter IX**

_Written by Shyion_

_I remember this place…It was a year ago, wasn't it?_

The Grand Hall was packed to the brim with people.

Lords and Ladies from all across the Kingdom of Yellow, along with several others from the Kingdom of Blue and Green were in attendance this day.

Of course, they had to be for the Coronation of the young Princess, who sat, rather uncomfortably, upright upon the gilded oaken chair, situated upon a small pedestal at the room's far left, if one were to view it from the raised balcony entrance. To her left stood the purple-haired minister, as well as the head servant to her right.

_It's boring here…and this chair is so uncomfortable…_

She was dressed in a long, golden ball gown. This design, featured a square collar, and tight-fitting sleeves that reached all the way to her wrists. At the hem of both the gown, wrists and collars were sown black silk lace of evidently fine quality. And perched upon her shoulders, she wore a fur-lined, red cape that was both impractical and heavy, it's only purpose for special occasions such as this that was occurring.

Directly before her stood two elderly men, both standing beside another, even more elderly man. All three were dressed in full white robes with several hints of gold, the sleeves reaching the way up until their own wrists in similar style to the Princess, except that their own sleeves tapered at an angle. And all three, wore caps to represent their status as members of the clergy, their purpose today to ensure that the coronation of the new Princess went smoothly.

_These old geezers are practically _**ancient**_…When will this be over? It's so boring here._

The bishop to the left held in both hands directly in front of him a small, golden chalice, while the bishop to the right held a rather large, golden scepter topped with a yellow topaz, as well as a golden crown adorned with a variety of gemstones that shone brilliantly with the golden light filtering in from the windows. And the final man in the centre, the Archbishop, held in his hands a large, leather-bound book that he held open, and was reading out from it aloud.

Of course, the words he read meant absolutely nothing to the Princess, the script being in an ancient language that only fully-fledged scholars could understand.

Keeping her head still, she looked around the room to survey the people in attendance for today.

Occupying most of the hall were the Lords and Ladies of the Yellow Kingdom. They stood to attention some distance in front of the pedestal, to make way for the more important guests of the day, and occasion.

Directly at the foot of the pedestal there stood two crowds of people, one at the left corner and the other at the right. The smaller group at the left wore the distinctive colours of the Kingdom of Green, this being of course the lush green that characterized their Kingdom name, as well as a pure shade of white. At the front stood a rather rotund man featuring a full white beard, hanging halfway down his chest. Upon his head stood a golden crown of impressive magnificence, his hands held steady by his sides. But what really caught the young Princess' attention, was a young girl, barely 15 years of age that stood behind the man so that she couldn't be easily seen.

_I don't like her…_

She featured a full, long dress that reached all the way until her ankles, the small, green stiletto heels showing from under the dress. Her head was bowed forward slightly, her eyes closed and her mouth set in a gentle smile. Her hair, dyed in a truly astounding shade of green that matched the Kingdom of her allegiance, was tied into two long ponytails that reached all the way down to where her knees should be. She was indeed a lady of beauty, and it was partly because of her beauty, that the Princess felt slightly agitated at, shuffling very slightly within her seat as her eyes quickly crossed to the other party on the right side of the pedestal.

This group of lords and ladies, wore distinctive colours of the Kingdom of Blue, that being deep blue reminiscent of the deepest oceans, as well as white trims. Surprisingly, this group comprised of a larger number of women than the Princess had noticed before, but almost all of them looked on with a definitively uninterested attitude, while all the men at least looked attentive. Except for one, who's face matched that of the ladies that stood just behind him.

_Hey, isn't that…_

The young man, aged at roughly 17 years, was dressed in a full, deep blue suit, featuring black trimming on both the coat's collar and hems, the black waistcoat that he wore beneath contrasting beautifully with the white shirt he wore beneath it all. His short hair reached up until his shoulders, the strands coloured in the amazing shade of blue that characterized both his Kingdom, as well as the clothes that he wore. Held gently in his right hand was another gilded sceptre, its style reminiscent to that of the Bishop that stood before the Princess, except that topping it was a beautiful sapphire gem, showing the position of Prince, that this man held.

This time, the Princess' eyes stayed locked upon this man, her heart she felt beating slowly faster and faster. And when his attention, worn out on everything else, turned to the young Princess, her eyes immediately diverted back to the Archbishop in front of her, hoping that the blush she felt growing on her cheeks would not be recognizable with the light of the sun.

_I'm __**definitely**__ going to marry him._

Finally, the Archbishop in front of her finished reading, as the Bishop holding the Chalice stepped forward. The Princess glanced quickly to the purple-haired Minister at her side, who only smiled slightly in return, giving her a clear signal. She turned back to the Bishop, taking the Chalice from him and drinking it gently, letting the cool water flow down her parched throat.

_This 'holy water' tastes just like normal water…_

After finishing, she handed back the Chalice to the Bishop, who took it with both hands and stepped backwards until he stood by the Archbishop's side again. Then, the remaining Bishop handed the sceptre within his hands over to the Archbishop, who then stepped slowly forward until he stood in front of the Princess.

On cue, she stood up, bowing her head slightly to allow the Archbishop to place the crown upon her head, before accepting the sceptre proffered before her.

She stood upright, watching the three old men step backwards, until they too were at the feet of the pedestal. Then, with a surprisingly loud voice that belittled his physical stature, the Archbishop's voice boomed out across the hall for all to hear.

"All hail Rin Kagamine, Princess of the Kingdom of Yellow." As if by cue, the bells of the Cathedral outside of the Palace rang the 11th hour, the resounding chimes of the grand bells following suit to the applause that rang through the hall, as the Princess watched them all in silent boredom.

_But still, something's missing from this…_

* * *

Within a dimly lit bar within the city, the voices of drunken men could clearly be heard through the streets.

The main crowd was centred upon a single poker table, a total of ten men either playing or watching the game, the other tables unoccupied save for two other, separate tables.

"My wife left me yesterday." One of the men said as he took another drink. "Said somethin' 'bout findin' another life o'er in Blue."

"Yeah, whaddyou expect?" Another man replied him. "The damn taxes from last year are killing us; they were already high enough as they were."

"I heard that it was due to some damn traders that they raised the taxes on us." A third man muttered. "I lost my girlfriend three months ago, 'said I couldn't bring in the money 'cause I drank too much." As if to illustrate his point, he took another long swig of his cup.

"Barkeep, another round." A fourth man shouted out.

"Yeah, and the decree two months ago, 'bout drinking during evenings only didn't do any good either." A fifth man said, playing a card. "If anything, only made it more and more worse."

"This Kingdom's going downhill I tell ya." The next man after him said, playing another card. "It was already bad enough before the Princess came in a year go, at least that old man knew how to run, but now?"

"I know what you mean." The seventh man replied. "The Princess 'dun know the first thing 'bout handlin' a country. More likely she should be handling something else that belongs to a real man!" The men around him broke in wild laughter at his joke.

"She's too young, I tell ya." Another man replied. "Too young to 'andle anything at all, let alone those two." He played his card as he finished.

"Someone really 'ought to go and teach her a proper lesson in how to run a country." The ninth man said. "I know quite a number who'd agree with me, some even in the barracks I tell ya!"

"Yeah, the taxes are killing us, as much as the death penalty is too!" The last man supplemented. "I mean, come on! Now we get sent to the guillotine if we're seen picking our noses, let alone other people's pockets damnit!" Again another round of laughter from the men.

"You either do something about it or you shut up, lazy louts!" A voice shouted from across the room. The men immediately turned to the source, a young woman, sitting at one of the two other occupied tables, taking a long drink.

She was dressed in a set of leather armour, her cloak fully covering her body. The mass of shoulder-length, dark red hair however, was truly what surprised many of the men, the colour burning brightly within the flames of the candles sparsely dotted around the room.

"Whaddyou call us, woman?" The fifth man said, standing up.

"Louts." She repeated nonchalantly through her drink. "Louts who are only good for complaining, and nothing goddamn else."

"Oooh, you're gonna get it for that!" The man who challenged her replied, cracking his knuckles. Two other men stood up with him as the remaining seven stayed seated.

"I've had enough of bitch-slappings for one day." The first man said as he leaned back.

"Yeah, show her who she's messin' with!" the third man shouted in support of his friend. The remaining men joined him, jeering at the woman and shouting encouragement to the three men standing.

"Fine, but I expect you lot to pay me for my time when I'm done." The woman said, smacking her cup down on the table. "I don't think I'd even bother drawing my sword to fight you lousy lot." She stood up and undid her cloak, revealing the, rather revealing, leather armour she wore beneath. "Come on, I'll take you all on!" She taunted, clearly drunk now, preparing herself.

As one the three men rushed forward, to all outward appearances the three burly, and obviously drunk men, would have won against the slender figure of the single woman.

Yet despite her own drunkenness, the woman swung her feet under the lead man, knocking him down just as he came into range. Completing her swing, the woman swung her legs overhead, ensuring that the heel of her boots connected squarely with the skull of the man to knock him unconscious.

Using the momentum of the resulting spring, the woman swung her body backwards, doing a single cartwheel and standing upright, before launching a flurry of kicks at one of the last two men. Successfully he did block each kick, yet each kick was aimed at the upper half of his body, leaving the lower half exposed. And it was only a few moments later, before the woman executed a final, uppercut kick in between the legs. Immediately the man fell down on the ground, the excruciating pain from the impact coursing through his body and rendering him numb.

She turned to the last man, who was now in his own rage at the easy loss of his two friends. In recourse he issued a flurry of attacks upon the woman, a mixture of punches and kicks, yet each and every one she blocked easily with minimum effort.

"Damn woman, you ain't gettin' away with this!" He shouted, his attacks slowly gaining in ferocity and speed.

"You're the pathetic dog who wanted to go vs. me!" The woman shouted in return as she continued to parry her strikes with ease. Then, suddenly the man screamed in pain as she caught hold of one of his arms, twisting it enough to render it useless. In an even greater rage the man swung his remaining arm at her, which she continued to disarm again with ease. Then, in an instant she stepped up to him, grabbing his face with both hands, and connected her forehead with his, a loud crunch resounding across the room as the man slithered to the floor, his consciousness leaving him immediately.

"You wanted some, you got some!" She shouted in a drunken rage, dancing on her feet, her fists primed and at the ready despite her adversaries down on the ground, and clearly unable to fight anymore.

* * *

"There has been a large increase in the rate of criminal activity, my Princess." The delegate began.

The Coronation now finished, Princess Rin now sat at the pedestal within the Meeting Hall. For today, the Lords and Ladies were not present, so that the Princess can practice conducting meetings such as this, without embarrassing herself in front of them.

_I still don't understand how father could cope with all this…_

"Reports of brigands, burglaries, several murders, hijackings of trading carts, all of these are on the rise my Princess." The delegate in front of her continued, reading from the rolls of parchment within his hand. "It is eating severely into the profits of the Trade Unions, their profit margin having decreased by 60 percent compared to last year, due to stolen goods and the like."

Gakupo stood once more at her side within the meeting hall, her head servant absent now in preparation for other duties that must be arranged for the Coronation Dinner that was to be held that night. It had to accommodate not only the Lords and Ladies of the Kingdom of Yellow, but also the visiting Lords and Ladies of both the Kingdom of Blue and Green, who were to stay for at least another week.

_I can go visit him for a bit then…_

"Minister, what would you suggest?" The young Princess asked, her disinterest evident.

"There is a definite need to increase the strength of our police force, if that is the case." Gakupo said humbly, his arms folded behind his back.

"Very good point." She turned back to the delegate in front of her. "We will make arrangements to increase the size and frequency of the guards patrolling the roads. Also, we will establish strike groups that will take care of any camps of these bandits that may be found. You may inform the Trade Unions that such arrangements will be made."

"My Princess." The delegate said hesitantly, before bowing his head, and keeping it there. "Such arrangements are sure to cause a severe drain on the royal treasury. Would it not be better say, to just lend some money instead directly to the Trade Unions so that they may hire some caravan guards themselves?"

_I remember this…What was it they always said?_

The Princess gave a glance to her minister, who in reply gave a tiny shake of his head, his eyes suspicious of the delegate before them, his message clear.

'The Trade Union heads will just put the money into their own pockets. Better to deal with the situation ourselves, then we'll know exactly what is happening, and can control it better that way.'

The Princess nodded her head gently, closing her eyes as if deep in thought, before speaking again.

"The Treasury will be able to hold, and anyway, this is for the benefit of the Kingdom as a whole as well." She began, opening her eyes halfway. "We will arrange the necessary guards. If, it does prove to be too much, the taxes can always be raised, especially on trading caravans, who would benefit from such measures the most." She smiled as she saw the delegate panic visibly, for a few moments.

_There's no problem if there's a lack of money._

Then, she recognised something interesting about this delegate. "You came before Father, several months before, didn't you?" She added.

"Y-yes, my Princess…" The man stuttered.

"Then, you said that the Trade Union under your jurisdiction was under threat of bankruptcy due to these bandits yes?" The Princess interrogated.

"That…is…correct…" her victim said slowly.

"My father had already given you a very, very large injection of money from the imperial treasury, yet that still isn't enough?" She exclaimed in mock surprise. "I even remember you saying that it'll be far more than enough that day."

"Well…that is…"

"Oh, do not worry about it." The Princess said, closing her eyes and waving her hand nonchalantly as she crossed her feet. "We'll take care of it from here. But, in return I expect a monthly cut of lets say…"

"20 percent." Gakupo suggested, his eyes closed now.

_Just take it from those you dangle on a string._

"Yes, that is a good percentage, considering how much your business will benefit from this…" She stopped herself, thinking for a bit. "No, not only your business will benefit from this. All the trading unions would, wouldn't they?"

"Yes, they would, my Princess." Gakupo said.

"Alright then," The Princess said. "Starting from next month, I expect a cut of 20 percent of all the profits from every trade union, every month, to pay for the increased number of patrols of course. I'll leave you to arrange the information and transferral, of course. If any of the Trade Unions fail to comply, then I'll just have to shut them down. They'd shut down when they're bankrupt anyway, if I didn't help out."

The delegate said nothing, instead bowing once, before leaving the hall silently, wondering how to break the news to all the other organizations that their profit margins will be limited again due to him.

"Thank you for informing us about this prevalent problem, good sir." She finished with a smile, watching him leave.

"They have had a pretty free reign over themselves for the past five years, since your father removed the majority of the taxes placed on them in favour of economic development." Gakupo analysed, after the doors closed behind the man.

"Minister." The Princess said after a brief pause. "Raise the normal taxes as well."

"My Princess?" Gakupo said, slightly alarmed.

"Oh, don't raise them too much. I mean that they too will be benefiting from such arrangements as well." The Princess said, smiling. "And another thing, Gakupo. Please reinstate the Death Penalty, I want this problem resolved as soon as possible, meaning that those brigands will need to learn their place, and know what awaits them if they continue about their trade. Father wasn't thinking straight when he abolished that."

"Alright then, my Princess." Gakupo said, after thinking for a brief period. "I suppose it is only right for everyone to shoulder the costs. And they really do need to learn their place as well. I will also arrange for the increase in the size of our army as well, as per your orders."

"Thank you, Minister. I will have my snack served in my chambers." She said as he stepped off the pedestal, bowing towards her before he left. She sighed, looking at the two maids that stood at the opposite end of the room, waiting for her orders.

_Everything and everyone is under my control as Princess…And yet…Why is it so lonely though…_

* * *

"Haaah!" The now-completely drunk red-haired woman exclaimed, slamming the bottle of sake down on the table. "That really hit the spot!"

"Umm…Please forgive our three friends down there." One of the seven men said standing around her, glancing at his three unconscious companions on the ground. "They really had it tough recently…"

"Yeah, I know." The woman said. "I've had my own share of problems since that woman came onto the throne. And I have my own reasons as to why I want her off of that thing again!" She suddenly went quiet, as if immersed in her own thoughts as the men looked at each other, puzzled.

"Anyway, are you lot gonna do anythin' 'bout it eh?" She said, coming out of her silence. "Cause I might be able to help you with some of that." She grinned, almost impishly in her drunken stupor, yet the men knew she meant business; not every person could take out three of their comrades unarmed and drunk, without sustaining a single hit herself.

"Well, uh, what's yer name first?" Another man asked. "We don't wanna mess around with ya by callin' you woman 'nemore eh?" The men around him nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah, good point." She said groggily, putting the bottle down on the ground and standing up. "Mercenary Meiko, at your service. I'm sure we all have a bone or two to pick with the Princess."

The group of men continued their discussions, as the cloaked figure that occupied the remaining table stayed alert, watching and listening to their conversation, his own drink barely touched even though he must have taken enough drinks to finish a whole bottle of the alcohol.

It was only after several hours that the group of people left the bar, their conversation done for tonight, that the man swallowed his entire drink in one gulp, leaving a tip on the table as well as leaving the bar altogether.

Quickly through the many streets, his way illuminated only by the dim light of the crescent moon, he made his way through to a secret hideout, somewhere deep within the city.

* * *

The Coronation Dinner was indeed a fabulous event, held again in the Grand Hall, tableware and silverware all rearranged in contrast to the morning ceremony.

_It's almost like my birthday party again…only, he is here this time…_

The majority of the guests present now had already finished their own dinner, the servants now clearing up the plates as the Orchestra played music suitable for the dance floor. However, the Princess herself was one of the few not on the dance floor, her attention instead put to finding the Prince of Blue.

She weaved her way through the hundreds of men and women in the room, searching until she could see him, secluded in a corner and surrounded by a myriad of other women, the group a combination of the three Kingdoms.

Seeing her approach him, the Prince excused himself from all the girls to greet the Princess, kneeling before her and taking her hand gently in his own.

"Good evening, Princess Rin." He began, standing up, still holder her hand gently. "I pray that the strains of running a Kingdom, has not gotten to you yet. Such a cute face as yours shouldn't be spoiled by all those strains."

"Oh…thank you very much." Rin said in reply, at a loss of words as she felt her face slowly heat up.

"Sorry, I haven't really introduced myself properly yet." The Prince said, stepping back a bit an bowing before her. "I am Prince Kaito, of the Kingdom of Blue, eldest of five siblings."

"It truly is an honour to meet you today, Kaito." The Princess said, curtseying. "Thank you for taking time off to visit me today, for my coronation ceremony."

"It is of no matter, my Princess." Kaito said, smiling at her. "I needed some time off from the numerous wealthy fathers that want me to marry their daughters anyway. They were starting to get a bit pushy as well, although such things I really shouldn't be talking to a girl as young as yourself." He laughed gently at this.

_Good, he's not engaged yet._

"Then perhaps, when I'm a bit older?" she asked sheepishly.

"We will see." Was all he replied with, taking her hand. "But for now, would you like to dance?"

"Ah!" The Princess exclaimed, her cheeks flushing again as she averted her eyes. "Umm…I think I would like a quick drink first, Prince Kaito." She stuttered. "I wouldn't want to ruin your night if I didn't dance properly…"

"Of course, my Princess." He said, smiling at her. "I'll wait here for your return then." He released her hand as she left, only to be once again surrounded by an even larger crowd of women, the Princess too enveloped in her own thoughts to realise this however.

'What should I do!' The Princess thought to herself as she rushed to find any servant that bore a tray of refreshments. 'I'm too flustered to think properly, and if I mess up here, what'll he think of me?!'

"Ah, there you are my Princess!" A voice called out to her. She turned in an instant to the source of the voice, her tension heightening with every moment.

"Ah, good evening…" She said to the source of the voice, a rather old man that was walking towards her. He was dressed in a grey and black suit, his orange shirt and bowtie showing his house colours clearly. Almost by instinct she brought up the information about the particular house within her mind, the information long since drilled into her.

"Good evening, my dear Princess." He stepped up to her, bowing. "I really wanted to talk to you tonight, now that you are upon the throne. I wished to talk to your father earlier about this, but he was always too busy for me."

"Yes, father was always a busy man." The Princess said.

"Well, regardless, you must know that as Princess, it is necessary for you to find proper suitors, and bear children to continue your reign." The man continued. "And I was wondering, whether you would like to meet my sons?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm too young for such talk right now." She laughed at herself, repeating the same words that Prince Kaito had said before. "I'm sorry, but I really must be going now."

_Something is happening…_

"Princess, it's never too early to consider suitors!" The old man pushed as she attempted to leave.

"Well, if you wish to discuss this further, I would recommend you speak to the Minister about this." The Princess said to him, continuing on her way only to be blocked by another man, this time dressed in a combination of brown, black and white suit.

"Princess, it's a pleasure to see you this evening." The newcomer began, bowing and holding to her a bouquet of yellow roses. "I was wondering if you may have any time to speak with me this evening?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't." The Princess said curtly, getting annoyed. She turned around to try another direction, but only found another wall of men, some very old and even more still of marriageable age.

"I'm sorry gentlemen, but I do not have time right now." She repeated again, getting angry and afraid. But this served only to multiply the number of people surrounding her, their voices now growing louder and louder around her, as their figures slowly became shrouded in shadow, as if becoming like wraiths.

And as the crowd around her slowly got thicker and thicker, she saw Kaito in the distance, his figure retreating further and further from her, his face laughing happily with his companion that remained shrouded by one of the many figures that surrounded her. Slowly she collapsed to her knees, her hands covering up her ears as the voices of the men around her amplified themselves, each insisting and listing the reasons as to why they should be the one to marry her.

_Shut up! Shut up! Leave me alone! Someone…Kaito, Gakupo…Luka…Help…_

The hall grew dim around her, the figures all vanishing, all replaced by these dark wraiths that surrounded her, now their hands reaching out towards her, grabbing her hands and pulling.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted at the top of her voice, tears streaming down her face, hoping for anyone to hear.

Then, the sound of slicing flesh cut the air.

"Get away from her." A voice whispered coldly, menacingly.

A wraith directly in front of Rin suddenly vanished, the figure disintegrating into a mass of shadow as a silver rapier blade replaced it. Its owner, clearly visible as the shadow of his slain foe dissipated, was dressed in a full black suit, the only colour adorning him was the yellow jabot collar, shoulder pads and ever-recognizable flaxen hair. But the most striking thing about him now, were his emerald eyes, now gaining a hardness that Rin had never seen before within her brother's eyes.

"Len!" She shouted, still struggling to get free. "Help me!" The wraiths released their hold on her, dropping her to the cold, marble ground as they turned their attention to him.

"Anyone who wishes harm upon my Princess," He declared, positioning the hilt of the blade just parallel to his eyes, the point intent on the crowd in front of him. "Anyone whosoever, will die by my hands!" At the challenge, the wraiths leaped forward, intent upon their target.

"Len!" Rin shouted, her hand outstretched, now fearing more for her brother's life than her own. But it was clear from the first few strikes, that her worry was unfounded.

With swift and graceful movements, the flaxen-haired boy issued a combo of strikes, the speed of each creating an audible sound as each wraith that dared challenge him was sliced in two, dissipating instantly as the silver sword he wielded cut and sliced each one. Spinning, slicing, stabbing and slashing the boy wielded his blade with grace befitting that more of a dancer, the silver sword leaving trails of light as they sliced through his foes. And very soon, all were gone and the room empty, save only for Rin and her brother.

Sheathing his sword, he stepped forward, holding out a hand to Rin.

"Are you hurt, my Princess?" he asked her gently.

"Len…" She whispered, too stunned to move.

"It's alright now, Rin, they're all gone." Len said gently, still holding out his hands as he smiled. "It's time to wake up now, my Princess."

"Time to wake up."

_It was a nightmare. But a good nightmare, I guess…_

The Princess awoke to see the face of her brother, almost in the exact same position of that within her dream.

"Len…" She whispered, smiling as a few drops of tears formed in her eyes. She sat up in her bed, before throwing her arms around him, sobbing gently.

"You…had a nightmare, Rin?" Len asked, surprised as he wrapped his hands around her to comfort her.

"It was a good nightmare." Rin said through choked sobs. "Protect me, Len, please."

"I promised you, that I would." He replied, closing his eyes and smiling, patting her back gently. "I'll always be there for you, my Princess, no matter what happens."

* * *

The sun rose silently above the horizon as the purple haired minister stood at the balcony to his study, watching the sun rise as he waited.

This morning he was dressed in a raven-black suit with a golden trim that ran along the coat's cuffs and borders, the necktie that he wore also a matching shade of yellow. He sighed as he surveyed the Palace, and the town outside, feeling the morning breeze blow through his hair, which he had done into a single tail.

Soon enough, a knock pattern was heard on the door, a pattern of 3-1-5. Immediately Gakupo turned around, understanding the importance of such a code.

"Enter." He shouted as he turned.

Quickly, the man entered from the outside, the two guards standing duty just beyond shutting the doors as the man made his way in.

"Minister." The man began as he knelt in front of Gakupo. "I bring news from the Secret Service brigade." He was dressed in a full black, hempen cloak that hid the clothing beneath.

"Continue." Gakupo stated as he watched the man before him.

"There is a rebellion and coup-d'etat in the planning even as we speak, Minister." The man said. "A group of ten men and a well-equipped mercenary, she refers to herself as Meiko, are at the heart."

"Meiko?" The minister whispered incredulous. "Could it be? Did you hear her last name?"

"None, Minister." The man said, his body held prone before him.

"Nothing we can do about that then." Gakupo said, thinking to himself. "Did you hear when it is to begin?"

"No, Minister." The man said. "They didn't discuss up to there."

"Is that so…" The minister said, turning around to look out of the window as he thought quickly. "Alright then, we can only wait and see what will happen. Trying to round them up now would be like finding needles in a haystack, and arresting only a few now would put the others into hiding for another strike later. Inform Luka that she and the brigade are to keep their attention focused on any more of such plans. Inform me of any developments, and keep me updated. Now go." He waved his hand in finality, dismissing the man behind him, who bowed twice, and moved out of the room in almost inaudible silence.

"I need to make the necessary arrangements, and inform the Princess." Gakupo said after a long while, watching a yellow bird flutter outside of the window. He smiled to himself as he watched.

"I can't remember the last time I had free time to go outside the Castle." He whispered. "It's almost as if I'm in a cage." He sighed. "Regardless, it is a pleasure to serve the Princess, until the end." Turning, he recalled the fond memories he had with her, as he stepped out of the oaken doors to his study.

* * *

"It's time for your snack, my Princess." Len said as he opened the doors to her chambers, holding a silver, covered tray in his left hand.

The Princess as such was sitting on the bedside, looking outside through the windows at the soft clouds that passed slowly by. Today, she was dressed in another ball gown that featured a square collar, this one fully black from head to toe, the single golden bow tied just at the base of the square collar, and the golden trimming of the collar, the hem of the gown, and the mid-bicep length sleeves the signs of colour that contrasted brilliantly with the black. Perched upon her head, was again the white headband and bow that she had taken a liking to recently.

"Excellent timing, Len." She exclaimed, smiling as she stood up and turned to him. "As always, you are perfect in your timing."

"I am only your servant, my Princess." Len said humbly as he bowed, carefully balancing the covered tray on his hand. Standing up, he closed the door and stepped forward, placing the tray upon the table at the room's centre.

"What is it today, Len?" Rin asked him as she stepped forward, sitting down on the gilded chair that Len pulled out for her.

"Today, Rin, it's a selection of tropical fruits." He removed the covering, revealing a wide array of colourful fruits arranged neatly upon the tray. "Watermelon, Bananas, Oranges, Grapes, Mango." Len continued, motioning to each of the respective fruits as he stood beside the seated Princess.

"Wow, that's a lot for today, Len!" She exclaimed, looking at the fruits carefully.

The watermelon was cut up neatly, and arranged into a small, neat pile on one side of the plate, the bananas peeled and sliced in a similar fashion. The orange provided today, had the skin of its upper half peeled off, the fleshy segments arranged within in a neat, flower-like fashion, while the grapes had all been individually washed and the skin peeled off, leaving the succulent drops alone on the plate. There were two halves of a mango provided, the yellow flesh of the fruit diced so as to leave the little squares attached to the green skin of the fruit.

"I think I'll need to ask you for some help to finish all this, Len!" Rin said after inspecting each fruit, laughing.

"You first, my Princess." Len said in reply, taking a grape in his fingers and holding it gently in front of the Princess' mouth. Smiling, she opened as Len placed the piece within her mouth, closing it as his fingers left, chewing and savouring the sweet juice of the fruit's flesh.

"Delicious." She said as she swallowed. "Here!" She grasped a fork, taking a piece of watermelon with it and holding it in front of Len. "Your turn!" He smiled, before accepting the proffered fruit in his mouth.

"Indeed, the boys in the kitchen know how to choose their fruits properly!" He said as he finished eating. The two young twins laughed gently, their minds finally feeling at ease with each other's company.

"I trust you have recovered, from your nightmare then, Princess?" Len asked her as they finished, watching his sister eating the fruits provided.

"Yes, Len, thank you." She said, smiling at him again as she finished the fruit in her mouth. She was about to take another piece, if it were not for the sudden knock on the oaken doors that lead to her chambers. She sighed as she looked at Len briefly, before shouting out. "Enter."

Very quickly, Gakupo slid through the double doors, closing them behind him as he entered.

"Good afternoon, Minister." Rin greeted him from the table, facing him directly. "What brings you here today?"

"Good afternoon, Princess." Gakupo replied, bowing. "I bear, some…unfortunate news, I must say."

"What might that be?" Len asked him, standing by the Princess' side.

"Several agents from the city have received reports of a growing rebellion movement, aimed at your life, my Princess." Gakupo began. "It is uncertain who are the major organizers in this attempt, nor is it certain as to when they plan to strike. But regardless, I have already made the necessary preparations to strengthen the guard force at the Castle."

"Very good, Gakupo." The Princess said, almost disinterested as she took another piece of fruit.

"You are not worried, my Princess?" Len asked her, slightly alarmed.

"Why should I be?" Rin replied, looking at him. "The Palace has the strongest guard force in the entire Kingdom, and Gakupo himself is present to organize it."

"Thank you for the compliments." The man said, bowing.

"If that is the case, then I would like to help in the defence." Her servant said, looking at the man.

"You threw away your sword before entering the Palace, Len." Gakupo stated matter-of-factly. "Luka relayed that message to me, as well as the incident with the bandits. Are you sure you are up for such a task?"

"If it is for the Princess, no task is beyond my capabilities." Len replied, again in a similar tone. "It has been three months, I am certain that what played out beforehand, will not be repeated this time."

"You will be facing far more men than the two you wounded then, Len." The Minister rebutted, in an attempt to dissuade him. "You cannot hope to stand up properly against fully-grown men that may outnumber you several times."

"Anyone who wishes harm upon my Princess," Len stated, his stance firm, "Anyone at all, must answer to me, and my sword-arm."

"Gakupo." Rin said, almost as if in response to Len, remembering the exact words that Len had said within her dream. "I'm ordering you to let Len help." She looked at him with her emerald eyes in the same way that Len in turn did as well, the shadow cast upon them due to the bright light of the sky outside sent a cold chill down Gakupo's spine.

"Very well then." He stated after a few moments. "But he'll have to first pass a little test then." He added on after thinking for a few more moments. "If he succeeds, then I will draft him into the plans. If he does not, then I will refuse him entry into the plans. Is that satisfactory?"

"Very much so." The twins replied in unison.

"As I expected." Gakupo chuckled quietly to himself. "Your test will begin now then, Prince. Follow me." He stated, bowing first to the Princess, then turning around and exiting from the room.

"Do a good job, yes Len?" The Princess said coyly, remembering her dream.

"Of course, my Princess." He said as he knelt by her side, taking her hand in his and kissing it gently. "For my Princess, anything at all." With that, he stood up and crossed the room, closing the oaken doors with a gentle thud, and following Gakupo outside.

Rin took a piece of orange out from the half-shell peel, looking at it in her hands slowly before popping it into her mouth, chewing slowly and savouring the taste.

"The best of them all, I must say." She stated simply with a smile. She leaned back into her seat, watching the plate of fruit that stood before her on the table. Then, she noticed a very faint drop of juice that had landed on her gown, the stain almost invisible due to the black colour. Smiling to herself, she said out loud to nobody in particular.

"To all those who oppose me, or wish to bring me down, in the end all you'll do, is tidy up my gown."

* * *

An extra long chapter as an apology for the late update (and the fact that I'll be away next Sunday so you'll have to wait another two weeks for the next update…Unless I'm feeling hyper enough to write the next chapter halfway through the night with school going on in the background…)

Anyway…I felt that I wasn't focusing enough on Rin, so I tried to focus this chapter on her, and also introduce the other three key players within the story for your amusement...And yes, Rin's 'nightmare' is actually just her revisiting her past, although it kinda went awry partway through, as you can obviously see.

And Meiko PWNS!!! :D

But Len'll PWN EVEN MOARE!!! xDD (Sorry, I'm feeling drunk with sleepiness right now so please bear with me)

A great big thank you goes out to all who have reviewed, favourite and alerted this story, thank you all for your continued support with this story, even though the updates are irregular & I keep on pushing my luck with you guys all the time xD. Thank you all again for your continued support with this! :D

And as always, to new readers, please read, review, and enjoy!

p.s: I'm sleepy… I have a math test tomorrow…I have an art exam on Tuesday…I have history coursework due in Wednesday……….Why did I even write this again? xDDDDD

12/13/09


	10. Truly, a Demon and a Servant part 1

I'M ALIVE!!!

OTZ…

Guys you have no idea how sorry I am for such a late update…

But it ain't really my fault…honest! I had mock exams up on the second week of term start & I didn't even look at the textbook before my posting of chapter nine…N to make things worse still, I've got the REAL exams coming up in like, 2 and a half months! T.T

So in other words, I won't be able to update the story for that period; if I can't get good grades on this one I won't be able to post anymore updates! T.T (I'd be buried under 10 metres of soil if you're wondering…by who you ask…well, let's just leave that question unanswered for now….ehehehe…..)

Anyway, that was the main reason why I tried to finish this chapter ASAP when I had free time, so that you guys can get an update on the story and a heads up about whenever the hell the next chapter's gonna pop up! As usual, read, enjoy and review please! :D

* * *

**Truly, a Demon and a Servant (part 1)**

**Chapter X**

_Written by Shyion_

Len stood waiting, leaned against a oak tree within a small clearing next to the Castle Barracks, the clamour of swords ringing through the otherwise still air, the shouts of drill sergeants occasionally breaking the sounds of grating metal and stamping feet as the Royal Guards went about their paces.

He had taken off his waistcoat, and now stood with black trousers and his white long-sleeved shirt alone, his blond hair still tied up in his signature ponytail. From the ground he looked up to the towering spires of the castle, looking at the numerous windows, listing out the names of each room that the windows belonged to in his mind while he waited.

Soon enough, Gakupo stepped around the corner of the building, accompanied by two fully-armoured soldiers that carried a large wooden chest upon their shoulders, a sculpted copper clasp holding the lid closed. They set it down in front of Len by Gakupo's hand gesture, before moving to the edge of the clearing.

"Now, Len." Gakupo began as he stood opposite Len. "The test will be a trial by fight. I wish to know the full extent of your capabilities. Remove the lid of the chest, if you would."

Len did so, undoing the copper clasp and lifting up the lid. Within it, laid a myriad of different swords, the designs ranging from the thin and elegant Rapier, to the sturdy and heavy Broadsword.

"To succeed in my test, you must defeat your opponent with the sword of your choice." Gakupo said after a brief period. "You may use any style you wish, any technique is allowed and any opportunity, you are allowed to exploit. Just as you would, in a real fight."

"I understand." Len replied in return, his fingers running over the hilts of each sword within the chest, picking up several to test their balance.

Eventually, he settled on a Rapier variant, the blade slightly thicker than normal to allow for some cutting ability while maintaining the power of its thrusts. The steel blade and hilt shone in the afternoon sun as he unsheathed it. The blade measured roughly the equivalent from his wrist up until the base of his neck, the steel hilt fully covering his right hand from attack.

"These are extremely sharp though, Gakupo…" Len commented, running a finger very gently along the length of the sword.

"Indeed." Gakupo said simply as he watched. "For me to fully understand your capabilities, the fight must be as real as can be, meaning unsheathed, sharpened blades. If you so wish, you may also request armour, Len."

"That should not be necessary." He replied, making a few strikes in mid-air to get a feel for the sword. "I prefer to focus on speed and agility, armour would only hamper me."

"Very well then." He nodded to the two soldiers, who removed the box from the clearing and came to stand behind Gakupo, one of them holding a sheathed katana that had been taken from the box.

"Who will be my opponent for this fight then?" Len asked, standing sideways towards the three men, the blade pointed at the ground in a starting position.

"Your opponent for today," Gakupo said calmly, lifting the katana from the soldier's hands, "Will be me."

"…What?" Len queried, unsure of whether he had heard right.

"I will be your opponent for this fight, Len." Gakupo repeated, unsheathing the sword to make a single swipe in mid air, passing the sheath to the other soldier. At this, both men moved to the sides of the clearing, their obvious aim to watch the ensuing fight.

"Gakupo…Are you sure about this?" Len asked again, slowly becoming more and more unsure of himself. "Aren't you going to wear some armour at least?"

"My style is similar to yours, Len." He replied simply. "My home country had many styles of fighting, a combination of both heavy armour and no armour used. It just so happens, that mine requires no armour whatsoever." He placed both of his hands onto the hilt of the sword, lowering them down to his waist as he stood with his left shoulder towards Len.

"But…" He stuttered, losing his stance. "A single misplaced thrust from me, and it really might kill you, Gakupo!"

"That is what a fight entails, Len." Gakupo answered in turn. "A single misplaced slice from my own sword, will sever you in half. This is the only way that I will be able to gauge your strength, to gauge your ability, and to gauge whether you are capable of defending the Princess with those hands of yours. Now, begin!"

As he shouted the last two words, he wasted not a moment longer, charging forward towards Len, his sword held in his right hand as the tip trailed just above the ground. The stamps of his feet slowly increasing in volume over the clang of metal from the barracks, as Len's ears began to block out all background noise, his mind wondering what he should do.

Upon reaching Len, Gakupo swung his Katana in an arc, from the bottom right up to the left in an uppercut. Len quickly stepped backwards to avoid the slice, but almost immediately afterwards stepped backwards again, Gakupo using the momentum of the first strike to spin on his feet, bringing the sword down from the top right down to the left. Even so, his attack was not finished. Digging the blade into the soft ground, he grasped the hilt with both hands, swinging forwards with his whole body as he lashed out with his feet, Len gasping as the attack connected, the extra reach provided by the pivot and Gakupo's body allowing a successful attack.

Len stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the ground after a few steps, gasping for air while clutching at his chest.

"What are you doing, Len?" His opponent said sharply. "There were at least two openings that you could have exploited there, and knowing your trainer, I would have expected you to have used them!" He stepped forward towards the boy, his sword still held at the ready. "Your enemy would have stuck a blade into your heart already, Len. If this is how you intend to fight, there is no point in having you within the plans. Now, again!"

Without wasting anymore time, he launched his sword forward, the blade pointed directly at Len. Reacting to it by instinct, Len rolled to his right, evading the attack while managing to get back up on his feet.

'It looks like there really is no way out of this…' Len thought to himself as he prepared his stance. 'Gakupo is serious about this, I'll really have to fight him…I can just disable his hands, right? Like with those bandits…That'll end this, I'm sure…'

He stepped swiftly to the side as Gakupo swung his weapon in a downward arc, evading the blade before attacking, aiming for his enemy's unprotected wrist.

But almost as if it was expected, Gakupo released his hold on his sword, Len's attack glancing harmlessly off the handle of the katana. He only had an instant to look in his adversary's direction, before Gakupo smashed his knee upwards into Len's unprotected stomach, the young boy collapsing to the ground clutching his stomach.

"What the hell was that, Len?" The purple-haired man shouted at the blond boy's prone figure. "Stunts like that will only get you killed!" He grasped the blade of his katana, lying in the grass in front of Len. "Again, Len!"

Through sheer force of will, Len rolled again away from Gakupo, standing up with his sword in his right hand, his left clutching his stomach as he panted heavily, the pain lingering. Already, sweat was beginning to drench his body, sections of his white shirt clinging onto his body as he drew himself up for an attack, Gakupo waiting at the ready.

After a few moments, Len rushed forward, his rapier lashing out in a series of jabs aimed at Gakupo's arms and legs in an attempt to disable them. The light weight of the rapier allowed for rapid attacks, but evidently they were not rapid enough to pass through Gakupo's defence.

'Why isn't it working!?' Len thought frantically as he continued his attack, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he watched the sword of his enemy, trying to figure out his pattern.

But it was clear to Len that he couldn't win this skirmish. Gakupo had much more experience than him, his blade moved effortlessly to counter each attack, brushing them aside like flies.

'Damnit!' Len thought to himself, before feeling a sudden jolt course up his blade and to his hand, the spasm to his muscles causing him to lose grip of the sword, the weapon dropping to the floor as its owner also dropped to his knees, clutching his hand in pain.

"Your attacks are swift, Len." Gakupo commented, bringing the katana to his side. "But you lack focus with your attacks, both in their target and in the energy you expend with each strike. Each strike carries far more energy than you need to expend with; it will tire you, and also allow me to counter you like this." He raised his katana diagonally, the flat of the blade facing in Len's direction.

'No way!' Len thought in surprise as he stared.

"Yes, I blocked your last attack with the flat of my blade." Gakupo replied as if reading his mind. "The excess energy you sent through that attack, increased even more through your desperate attempt to disable me, was reflected back through your sword. The sudden break in its speed caused your hand to smash against the hilt, forcing you to drop your blade as you did."

"I don't need you to explain it that far, Gakupo." Len muttered, grasping his sword and standing up.

His breath was ragged, beads of sweat caused by the pain dropping off his face as he looked at the man before him. "Why…are you doing this…Gakupo?" He asked through his ragged breathing. It was a few moments of silence before he received an answer.

"So…You still do not know the reason then, Len?" Gakupo said, shaking his head.

"What does that mean?" Len panted.

"Maybe you will realise it, soon enough." Was all he received, before Gakupo's attack began anew.

Len barely dodged the first jab of the katana, before taking two hobbling steps backwards to avoid the slash that immediately followed it. Stepping as quick as he could to the side, he attempted to smash the hilt of his sword onto Gakupo's back, his body still caught in the heavy swing of his weapon and unable to defend.

Even so, Gakupo reacted faster than Len, releasing his sword before spinning around to block Len's attack with his left, the momentum of his swinging body bringing forth his right hand, which punched Len squarely in the face. The lighter boy was sent flying backwards, losing grip on his sword altogether as he landed with a cry on his back some distance away.

"Evidently, you do not know what it is that I am talking about, or what it is that I am seeking to find in you." Gakupo said calmly as he stood upright, his right hand still clenched into a tight fist. Picking up his katana, he walked slowly towards the boy, who was slowly trying to get up.

"Although Luka has trained you well, Len," Gakupo began, "you still lack the conviction that I need to see." He stopped in front of Len, who was kneeling in front of him at this time. "What you lack, is the conviction to kill." He pointed the blade to Len's face as he stared fearfully up its point.

"With every attack, with every movement, all I see, Len, is fear." Gakupo said after a moment of silence. "The fear, is written as clearly as day upon your sword."

"When you dodge my attacks, your fear of being hurt is all that I can see. When you attack, your fear of hurting me flows like a flood from your sword. Fear of hurting, fear of being hurt, fear of killing, fear of being killed! These fears are luxuries that a warrior does not have time to think about during a fight! You either strike them down, or they will strike you down." He let the words sink in, before dropping a final comment.

"Or, they will strike the one closest to you down instead."

At this, Len's mind immediately went on red alert, the realisation showing clearly on his face.

"Yes, Len." Gakupo said, watching his face. "It is disappointing that you realise it only now, even though you were the one who requested this." He lifted the blade away, before continuing his verbal onslaught.

"Who is it that you promised to protect, Len!" Gakupo shouted. "Answer me that! Who is it that you swore to protect, to give your life for? Who is it that you promised to kill for?"

"Kagamine Rin." Len stated as he let his gaze fall, his blond locks covering his eyes.

"That is right." Gakupo replied. "Why should you even have to think about trying to disable me? The most important thing that should be in your mind, is that I'm an obstacle preventing you from going to her, and you will need to do everything in your power to put me down. Just like the rebels who wish to put her down. People like you, who cannot remember the words of their promise, and what it entails, have only enough honour to cut open their stomach."

He turned around, grasping the sheath of the katana from one of the soldiers who had come forward during his speech.

"Remember, Len." Gakupo began again as he sheathed his sword. "In a battlefield, you have no time for fear. You only have time for certainties, time to exert your will upon your sword, upon your enemy. Whenever you dodge, whenever you block an attack, the only words that I should read upon your sword must be your intent to avoid my slice, and not the fear of being sliced. Whenever you attack, your sword can read only your intent to slice your enemy, and not even a hint of the fear of slicing your enemy." Turning a sideways glance at Len he concluded with a final statement.

"And whenever you stand to protect someone, the only words that should ring throughout the air, is your will, and your intent to protect them no matter the cost."

And with that, he turned around and began to walk back to the Castle, leaving the boy in the empty clearing.

"Then I have one question to ask now, Gakupo." Len said clearly after a few moments.

"What?" Gakupo replied, stopping, his gaze focused directly in front of him.

"What is your plan, for me and Rin?"

"When I hear of their planned date to strike, I will evacuate all the servants, including you, from the Castle in secret, leaving only a skeleton workforce and the garrison." The man said calmly.

"What about Rin?" The boy asked further.

"It will be too risky to let her go out of the Castle; if the rebels were to gain word of it then they could either call off their attack for another period, or instead focus on attacking her in whatever safehouse that I intend to make. Either way, we will not be able to round up the entire enemy force at once, and the remainder will only come back to haunt us again."

"So in the end, she will not be leaving the Castle then?" Len asked, his gaze still upon the ground.

"That is the case." Gakupo replied. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some preparations to make." And with that, he began to leave again.

"So that's it then?" Len said after a pause as he clenched his teeth and fist, sweat still dropping from his brow. "My conviction to kill…Was that all?" He began to stand up again, unexpected rage building up quicker and quicker within him, as another soldier coming forward with some ice packs from the barracks.

"Gakupo…" He whispered through his gasps. "I'm not done yet…I'm not…done…I'm not done yet!" he yelled, picking up the rapier in his right hand, before turning around to the soldier behind him. With unexpected speed he stole the shortsword from the soldier's scabbard in his left, swerving around to bear down upon Gakupo.

"I'll show it to you then!" He shouted as he ran forward. "I'll show you how far I will go for her, just how much of a demon I will become, as long as I can stand by her side!"

Gakupo said nothing, instead drawing his katana in a swift single motion, blocking Len's initial attacks, before jumping backwards, letting the scabbard fall down to the ground. Immediately he raised his sword again to deflect the oncoming blows, using the time to study Len's enraged state and technique.

"It appears that those years in the inn have given you a degree of ambidexterity, Len." Gakupo said, the ringing of steel against steel reverberating throughout the clearing as the battle intensified.

"Dealing with dishes, trays," Len shouted in reply over the din of clashing steel, "knives, daggers, plates and the myriad of orders that I need to handle gives me at least that much!"

"But even so, it is clear that your left hand is unused to such weight, Len." The man said calmly, thrusting forward and catching Len's shortsword in his katana, before twisting the blade out of his grip and tossing it into the air, the blade landing a little distance away. "Instead of becoming an advantage, it becomes your weakness!"

At the same instant, he sidestepped a jab from Len's rapier, having to quickly brush aside a series of attacks made by the young boy.

'Is he getting faster?' Gakupo thought, his sword moving almost out of instinct to protect himself. Then, unexpectedly Len threw himself towards Gakupo. Unsure of what was happening, the man quickly leapt backwards to avoid the attack as the boy hit the ground.

Using the momentum of the charge, Len curled into a small ball, rolling a little bit across the ground before lashing upwards with his feet, using his hands to launch his body upwards. The attack landed squarely on Gakupo's chin, forcing him to stumble several steps backwards as Len landed squarely on his feet. Quickly, he rushed to pick up his shortsword with his right hand, arming his left with the rapier instead.

Wasting no more time he renewed his attack, charging towards Gakupo as he spat out some blood caused by the last attack. The attack was mixed with a series of slashes from Len's right, and jabs from his left.

'He really is getting faster!' Gakupo thought as his sword moved in a flurry to defend himself, barely any time available to launch any attack of his own. 'Changing the sword he wielded in his left hand to the lighter one allowed him far more balance and speed. Despite his inexperience with dual wielding, he can still achieve this much?!'

'But even so, he still can't wield them properly; it is obvious that he is at his limit.' Gakupo thought, using his height to step backwards away from Len's flurry of attacks. Almost immediately afterwards the man began his attack, using large sweeping arcs of his katana to force Len to withdraw.

After a few strokes he stopped his attack, using the pause to examine Len properly.

He was completely drenched in sweat, his breathing deep and ragged as he held his swords at the ready with shaking hands. Yet even still, Gakupo felt a shiver grow up his spine as he looked through the locks of blond hair, seeing his emerald eyes with the deadly determination that Gakupo had been looking for.

"So it appears," The man whispered through his own deep breaths, "that you are capable of discarding your fear. Discarding your fear, for the sake of your Princess."

He stepped forward, unleashing a punishing series of slashes coming at all angles, forcing Len even further backwards as he sought to avoid and deflect the attacks. That was until a point where, in Len's exhaustion and confusion, Gakupo managed to duck under the two swords. At this moment, he discarded his own, his hands latching onto Len's as he twisted his grip loose, the swords dropping to the ground with a muffled yelp.

"Very good, Len." Gakupo said, knocking the swords away with his feet, looking down at Len as he clutched his wrists in pain, his teeth clenched and his eyes still filled with deadly intent. The man knelt down before the boy, pride drawn upon his face. "It appears, that you are indeed capable of defending your Princess with your full might, and that in the end, you really do have the conviction, the determination, and the will to kill. You pass, Len."

At this, Len seemed to come back to his senses, the deathly aura about him caused by Gakupo's earlier words dissipated as he let his hands be grasped by those of the man before him.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Len." Gakupo said calmly to him, holding his hands tightly. "I had to show you, just what kind of world you are stepping into, the kind of brutality that you must summon to protect the things that you love most. I had to show you how to discard your fear, your dread of hurting, of killing that has been lingering, despite everything, ever since then. But in the end, you passed, Kagamine Len. You have passed, and I will make sure that you will be included in the defence. On this, you have my word." He stood up, two soldiers behind him coming forward with a stretcher.

"The wounds you have sustained today are light, Len." Gakupo said as he looked behind. "If you rest properly, then you should recover in a couple of days with the help of the physician. You still have a lot to learn in wielding swords, despite what Luka has already taught you." He turned his head to the boy. "I will relieve you temporarily of your duties to Rin, while I train you personally."

Len stared up at the man, slightly dumbfounded with a sea of thoughts raging in his head. But above all else, one thing remained clear. He had passed the test, and he could stay by Rin's side. He offered no resistance as the soldiers helped him into the stretcher.

"I will look for you when you are fully healed, Len." Gakupo said, sheathing his sword as he stood by Len's side. "You need to take good care of your body; the coming days, will be gruelling indeed." He smiled as he grasped the boy's right hand with his left.

"I will wait for you then, Gakupo." Len replied, returning the smile and grip. And with that, the young boy was carried off to the barracks, as the man stood alone in the clearing, as a single gust of wind blew through, his purple hair flaying out behind him as he turned around, and back into the Castle.

* * *

"Damn it." Gakupo groaned as he landed in the chair within his study, letting the cool breeze coming from the window cool him off. "Damn it." He let his head lean backwards, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before draping his right forearm over his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Len." He whispered silently. "I hope that you will forgive me. It hurt, more than you know, to treat you like that…I'm sorry…"

"I'm quite sure it did." A voice said from the shadows of the room, footsteps accompanying it.

"Luka." Gakupo said after a few moments, lifting his hand briefly to look at her.

She was dressed in a black cheongsam with gold trimming, the slits down the side revealing her thighs, and the black stockings that reached up to mid-thigh length. The collar covered most of her neck, where she wore a golden rose broach pinned directly underneath at its centre, a small round sapphire embedded into it. Her black boots thudded silently as Gakupo let his hand drop after finishing his observation.

"Your test was really over the top, as is usual of you, Gakupo." The pink-haired woman commented as she stood behind him. "You really do love to push people to their limits and beyond eh, going so far as to taunt him like that…"

"Tch." Gakupo grimaced as he kept his hands over his eyes. "At his limit …The teachers from our home country, would've killed him flat in the first instance."

"And knowing that, you still feel saddened?" Luka asked, letting a hand resting on his shoulder. "Wow, you really have softened up a lot since then ne?" she said playfully.

"I suppose, having to deal with two children for so long has that effect." He said, letting his hand fall to his side as he looked up into her blue eyes, framed by her pink locks. "It's the same for you too, I'm sure, Luka. You've practically been a mother for the past 7 years." He said, smiling.

"I'm sure I handled him better than you could have." She said, turning around to look out of the window to hide her face in the contrasting light of the afternoon, and the darkness of the study.

"I'm quite sure you have." He said in reply. "It's been a long time, since we had a chance to be alone and in peace, like this." Gakupo said after a pause, letting his hand rest on hers. "I barely have time to reminisce about the past, about the good times we spent together as children back at home." He sighed tiredly, smiling as he closed his eyes and allowed himself time to drift back into the past.

"Yeah, you barely have time to relax." Luka said after watching him for a short while, smiling. She let her remaining hand creep up to his free shoulder, feeling the tense and knotted muscle underneath. "Despite all the stress of organizing everything, you can still keep your cool like this, it's really something to envy. But not after you see just how tired your body is."

With that, she began to massage his shoulders. Gently and expertly she slowly unknotted his muscles, allowing them to loosen and relax after so long.

"Having to work in the Kingdom of Yellow's spy network, means you have to know in-depth about the muscles within the body." She whispered into his ear. "Feels good, doesn't it?" He could only sigh softly in reply, feeling the muscles in his back unwind completely.

"I wish we could have more time like this." He said after a long while, enjoying the feel of her fingers. "But I suppose, our positions do not allow for that luxury…"

"Unfortunately so…" She replied, her hands slowing down to a stop, resting on his shoulders.

"At the same time, I really do fear…" Gakupo began again after a short while, "About what may happen to this Kingdom. Rin may not notice it, she being surrounded all the time in luxury, but the working life of the peasants is getting harder and harder, the taxes that she refuses to decrease are adding further burdens on their backs."

"It's saddening, isn't it…" Luka said solemnly. "She was such a sweet girl, when she was younger. Now, she doesn't give a second thought about the populace, and the effects of her rulings. The people's unrest has solidified once before; that one really hit home for many of the people at the Castle except for her…His death was really a shame."

"I don't really understand what went on in his brain." Gakupo commented. "With a post, and experience as high as his own, he could have done so much more teaching the Princess the proper way of ruling, rather than summoning up that rebellion. His daughter's whereabouts are still unknown, yes?"

"Yes, we haven't seen or heard from her at all." Luka replied. "I've put my agents on the lookout for her ever since she disappeared after her father's execution. Some report rumours that she even has connections with Red Rebels as well."

"I fear what kind of threat she will become to the Princess." The man said tiredly. "The last time I saw her, her hatred was so thick I thought I could cut it with my sword."

"It really is a pity, isn't it?" She commented.

"Yes, it is." Gakupo replied. "I really wonder whether this would have been different, had that not happened, seven years ago. Had Len stayed here instead…" His voice trailed off as he thought about the events that transpired seven years ago.

"Regardless of that, we will still have to make do with our situation, as best as possible then." Luka replied after a pause. "We can only do what we can, with the situation at hand. Hopefully, Len may be able to help as well, to change his sister's outlook."

* * *

OK, break out the beer everybody! Chapter **10** is finally up! :D

Unfortunately this'll be the last chapter that's gonna go up for the next two and a half months or so… I really enjoy writing this story unfortunately. That is when I'm not having a writer's block or there's homework assignments knocking on the door…

I suppose one of the reasons why I was so slow in updating was the fact that Mothy/Akuno-P released Daughter of White at the start of the year. When I found that out, I almost strangled myself; I thought I'd had to rewrite the entire thing from scratch. And when I went off to read his blog later, that almost killed me right there and then; I was almost certain that I'd had to rewrite.

BUT, after a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time thinking I decided that I didn't need to; strangely enough my inconsistent updating actually saved me this time XD.

The story hasn't progressed far enough that I can still include those bits in, although you'll have to bear with me having to include characters halfway through the story as I have…

For those who do not know what's on Mothy's blog, there's a little wee bit about Meiko's past and the canon reason as to why she wants Rin off the throne. I've included a little tidbit here in this chapter about it, if you can spot it (although it shouldn't really be that hard to find).

I'm sorry that this chapter's mostly about Len's fight with Gakupo, but really I don't have much time to elaborate on things that happens after the fight (and I wanted to see how good I was at writing fight scenes). Well, how was it overall? Or should I refrain from writing stuff like this in the future? N how was the Gakupo x Luka scene? Or did you not even realise it was there? XD

Anyway, I'll be waiting for your reviews! :D (That is, if you aren't too busy with exams like I am to review…)

02/26/2010


	11. Truly, a Demon and a Servant part 2

I'VE RETURNED FROM THA DEAAAADDDDD! :D

Yeaaahhhh...I'm not even supposed to be writing this now...OTZ

In any case, sorry for the long absence and no, I'm not supposed to be updating now...My exams are still going on for about 2 more weeks, but I really wanted to post...& get some steam off...Sorry this chappie is so short but, meh, better than nothing at this stage, right? :D...OTZ

Yes, I know at least a few of you are hungering for my blood (n I'm half-willing to let you come after it after failing about 54418952132 subjects during this period) but hey, at least you get a chapter?

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**Truly, a Demon and a Servant (part 2)**

**Chapter XI**

_Written by Shyion_

The young red-head woman sat by the bar counter, holding her full mug in her hand as she stared into it accusingly, her face slightly flushed by the alcohol she has consumed. Clad in an unassuming set of brown leather armour with a similar shaded cape around her, her mind drifted off slowly among the din of the pub during the afternoon rush hour, before the alcohol ban became enforced.

* * *

Dull thunks of wood echoed through the empty clearing beside a large stone wall, a young girl practicing sword-play with another, older man. But despite his age, he still kept up easily with the more youthful girl, barely breaking a sweat as his wooden training sword twirled in his hands as easily as a petal twirled within the wind. The girl kept up her attack, trying to find a way to break through his defence, slashing and stabbing with all her might, but her efforts served only to tire her body even further, until finally the man knocked her sword up into the air, catching the blade as it came falling down, just as her small figure fell forward on all fours, out of breath and energy.

"You still put too much energy in your attacks," he commented, sitting down beside her on the soft green grass, with the morning dew still evident. "The more energy you use to swing your sword, the lesser time you have to smack your opponent senseless."

His chest was clad in metal plate armour atop a tight-fitting white long-sleeved shirt, metal gauntlets covering his forearm and his fists, while a tight-fitting trousers plus greaves stood to protect his legs. His face was that of a calm man, having seen much over his 40 or so years upon the earth, his dull brown hair which reached down up to his shoulders showing streaks of ashen grey that exemplified his age even further still. A single piece of metal shell armour stood on his left shoulder, the sign of the Kingdom of Yellow emblazoned proudly upon it.

The young girl rolled onto her back, panting heavily as she looked up at him.

"Yes father, I know." She panted through. She sported fiery, shoulder-length hair that splayed out across the cool green grass. The girl wore a yellow shirt that reached up to her biceps, her hands covered with leather gloves, while tight black trousers kept her legs warm.

"Ah well, you'll get the hang of it soon enough if you practice hard every day!" The man smiled down at her, before looking up at the towering spires of the castle. "Well, morning training is done for today; they're probably going to call me in very soon."

"Captain!" A voice yelled out across the field.

"Ah, right on time." He laughed briefly, before standing up. "You are free for today; it's going to be a very busy day for me."

"Aww, but that's boring!" She quickly stood up, before following him towards the castle.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure you can find some people that are willing to spar with you." The man said, shortening his stride slightly.

"But none of the Pages and Squires want to because I'm a girl." She muttered, looking at the ground as she walked. "And the few that do, are just too easy…I bet they're the weakest of the lot, and think that beating a girl would be no problem." The man laughed heartily at this.

"Well, sparring isn't the only way you can pass the time, you know." He replied gently. "You're only 11 years old, forcing your body to spar all the time at such a young age will take its toll on you later when you're older."

"Like what?" She asked, her disinterest evident.

"Well…" The man thought for a moment, still walking. "For one, you'd age much faster than your old man here! You'd probably end up completely with grey hair by 30!"

"Eww!" She grimaced. "I don't want grey hair so early!" He laughed at her reaction.

"Well, maybe not so early." He said, looking after he finished laughing. "But really, you should not focus all of your time training and sparring all the time, have some fun with the other children around the castle, play some games with them, and the like." She nodded in reply to this, still looking glum.

They soon reached one of the palace's oaken doors, where two guards stood to attention at either side of the door. All three stood with an imposing figure, each clad in a mixture of chain mail and plate mail to allow for maximum protection and mobility, their pikes gleaming in the morning sun. Each saluted the man as he walked forward towards the door, which was promptly opened by the guards.

Almost immediately as the doors opened the young girl was pounced on by two younger children, sending the three flying back into the courtyard. The guards immediately prepared themselves, not knowing who or what the young girl's assailant was. The man turned around instantly in surprise, but chuckling slightly, he motioned for the guards to drop their guard.

"Big sis, big sis!" one of the children shouted repeatedly, clambering over her.

"Save us! The Governess' coming to get us!" The other shouted in unison.

"Oh, get off you two!" the girl shouted, finding it hard to push the two smaller, more agile and more energetic children off her.

"What's this about, eh?" the man asked, stepping forward.

"Uncle!" The two shouted in unison, their gaze focusing on the man as they paused mid-way through their scruffle.

The two children were both very young, not much more than the age of 4. One was a young boy, sporting a long sleeved white shirt, covered by a black waistcoat, a pair of black shorts reaching up to his knees completing him. The other was a young girl, sporting a full-length black dress with yellow trimming, with sleeves that enveloped her wrists and a collar that surrounded the base of her neck.

Their identical faces, golden hair and emerald eyes the most striking thing about the pair as they sat on the ground, their earlier source of affection clambering to sit up after their sudden halt in their actions.

"Prince! Princess!" A cry could be heard coming from the door, as a middle-aged woman appeared. She sported a full white dress with black and yellow trimmings, her ebony black hair bunched into a ball. The woman held her dress clutched in her hands as she ran as fast as she could in pursuit. "There you two are!" She panted as she exited the door, slowing down as she did so to stand beside the old man.

"Oh! Good morning, Captain." She panted, curtseying politely in the process, her body exhausted due to chasing the energetic twins while being careful not to trip over the fabric of her dress. "Sorry, about these two, disturbing you and your daughter."

"Oh no, not at all." He said, smiling.

"Well, if you would excuse us." She said, curtseying again before turning to the children. "Come along now you two, you shouldn't bother the Captain, he's a very busy man, especially today, as your parents are going out into the city, and he needs to pay full attention to his job!"

"But we wanna play with big sis!" They both shouted in unison, grabbing the redhead girl, completely enveloping her.

The man laughed as he watched his confused and flustered daughter, before commenting, "Don't worry about them, ma'am. They just want to play with her, I'm sure you can leave them alone for today at least. They've had a very busy week with all the study that they've been doing." The two nodded vigorously at this. "I can assure you that they won't trouble anyone at all together!"

"Well…" The woman looked between the man and the children, who were trying their best to earn her pity. "I guess it's alright for today…"

"Yay!" The two cheered at this, returning once again to clambering over 'big sis'.

"Captain Leon!" A voice was heard shouting from the castle again. "The Royal Guards need you over here, now! The King and Queen are getting ready to leave!"

"Alright then, I'd better go now." Leon said. "Play nice with them today, Meiko!" He called over the miniature din, before entering the palace, the nanny returning inside to retrieve some items to keep her busy while she watched the children play.

"Aarrgh!" The girl shouted after struggling for a while, using a sudden surge of energy to send the two children off flying onto the grass as she stood up, rage crossing over her face. "Alright then! Rin, Len, the game's tag, so start running before the ogre comes to eat you!" The two children quickly got up and ran away together out into the courtyard in mock fear, the redhead chasing quickly after them, the trio enjoying their playful antics long into the day.

* * *

Meiko smiled grimly at the memory, her grip on her full mug tightening as a tear dropped briefly into the drink below. Rubbing her eyes quickly, she downed the mug in a single gulp, attempting to drown the upcoming memory.

But try as she might, she knew that it was useless; every time she reminisced about the days she played with the royal twins, the fun memories were always followed by two horrible memories that served to remind her that the past she once knew, was far from the reality that was now.

The sight of two guillotine deaths brought bile up into her mouth, one almost a year ago, and another just a mere four months ago. And presiding over each, the laughing face of the girl that she once treated, as a little sister.

"Rin Kagamine…" She muttered under her breath like a curse, swallowing back the bile with sheer force of will. "You will pay…for my father..who fought for the people…who you killed so callously a year ago…for my love, four months ago...who fought for the rights and freedom of Red…for those…who you have oppressed…for so long…you will…pay…"

With each mutter, another tear fell, until eventually a stream flowed clean from her eyes into her mug, the bartender standing close by calmly, as the pub slowly emptied, leaving only three of her other conspirators, and her sorrow, to keep her company. Yet at the same time, through her tears, through the miasma of emotions that she felt within, she herself questioned: Would she be able to kill her? Or would the joyful memories of their past bind her hand at the crucial moment?

* * *

Len stood battle-ready, sweat adorning his body like the morning dew covering the grass, his hands grasping two short swords wrapped thickly with cloth, his left held in front of his body backhanded, his right held behind his back ready to strike forwards. Before him stood one of the imperial guards, the last target that Gakupo had prepared for him to take out for the day.

The boy stood bare-chested, his thin lean body glistening in the fiery sun's rays, contrasting greatly with the black shorts that he wore. His forearms sported metal gauntlets fitted tightly into place, his lower legs protected by worn metal greaves, both having seen much use during today's fight. His body sported several red welts from punches and kicks sustained, his shorts tattered slightly. But nonetheless he firmly stood his ground, studying his enemy before charging in for the attack.

Gakupo stood watching the fight, the line of defeated warriors standing by as they too watched the fight, the two combatants now trading blows, the dulled clangs of metal clearly heard through the field. Clad in a black robe with a golden dragon swimming in the sea, his hair bundled into a single purple tail that stretched down alongside his katana that he wore by his side.

'I got the greenest I could find to fight him today.' He thought as he stood straight, his arms folded. 'No matter how skilled he is, he can't win against fully trained men; he just doesn't have the build, the musculature for it. However, he has held his ground well against these guys alright; very well indeed. And that should be enough.'

Very soon afterwards, Len had managed to disarm his opponent, his smaller body managing to sneak under one of his opponent's attack. In an instant, the battle was complete, Len's adversary's sword tumbling down onto the ground with a brief clatter.

"Damn…" He muttered briefly, before smiling through a thick bushel of brown beard, Len's left sword at his neck.

"Excellent, Len!" Gakupo stated, clapping. The men behind him clapped, grudgingly admitting their defeat. When Gakupo had told them to spar with a boy, they didn't expect him to be so accomplished already. "Alright you lot! Break out, and get some rest." He shouted at the men, who complied quickly. Turning back to Len, he stepped forward across the grass quickly.

"Ah, damn that was tiring." Len said, allowing his swords to drop as he himself dropped onto his back, on the cool grass.

"Yes, but it shows you have improved over the last month, Len." Gakupo said, stepping over to retrieve the swords, unwrapping them before taking the swords to be sheathed on the clearing's edge.

"That's good to know." Len panted, allowing the coolness of the morning to sooth his wounds and his overheated body, seeping in directly through his bare skin. "Any more news on the dissidents, Gakupo?" He asked.

"None yet, although I am expecting another report today on their position and state of readiness." He replied. "The castle has almost been completely evacuated now, as you may have noticed due to the skeleton staff, and influx of soldiers." He approached Len, standing just above him, watching the castle in front.

"Yes, I have noticed." He replied simply, closing his eyes as the sun's rays peeked over the castle walls at the pair. "Well, I should take my leave, and wash up." He stood up, doing a standing jog for a little while, before turning around. "Thank you for what you have done, the past month, Gakupo." He bowed deeply, his thanks sincere.

"Please, it was nothing." Gakupo said humbly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You have worked hard for your Princess, and that is thanks for me enough." He smiled, remembering the day one month ago that he had beaten him black and blue.

"Alright then, I'll be going now." Len stood upright again, moving to collect his clothes and heading off to the castle bathhouse.

Gakupo smiled at his slowly retreating figure, before sighing, hanging his head down and shaking it slightly, his face impossible to read. He did not spend long there, before picking himself up again and moving towards the castle; the day was just beginning, and much work was to be done.

* * *

It was already the afternoon, the sun wavering as it's fiery rays bathed the land in its final embrace, before disappearing for the night. Len sat under a tree, fully clothed again in his servants uniform, with an open book. He sighed once, before leaning back into the tree, eyes closed. The wounds he sustained today would heal quickly, and at most just cause a few bruises to appear here and there, nothing to significantly impede his movements.

He sat there for a while, listening to the wind and the muffled sounds of life in the castle, before he heard the gentle shuffle of a satin dress on grass approaching.

Opening his eyes, he sat up, watching as his Princess approached, dressed in a full yellow dress with black trimming, its wide collar hanging off the edge of her shoulders while the long yellow sleeves tapered slightly at the wrist, making it very loose. And sitting upon her head, stood the ever-present bow, this time coloured full black to match with her dress.

"What brings you out here, Princess?" He asked, smiling up at his sister.

"Oh, nothing much." She answered, returning his smile. "Just thought that I'd get some fresh air before dinner.

"That's good." He closed the book that he was reading, as she sat down next to him under the shade of the tree. Leaning on him, she rested her head on his right shoulder, closing her eyes while smiling gently.

Smiling too, Len closed his eyes and shuffled slightly back towards the tree, letting his back lean on it fully, together the two twins resting, simply enjoying each other's company.

'This is what I stand to protect.' Len whispered within his mind. 'This is what they are after, and this is why I am here: to prevent that from happening.' He opened his right eye slightly, looking at her face. 'No matter what happens, I will be there for you, Rin.' But as his mind played those words carefreely, another voice deeper within responded with a single question that sent a shiver up her spine:

'But are you determined enough to kill again, for her?'

His thoughts were interrupted curtly by shifting grass, indicating that another person drew near, Len and Rin opened their eyes, seeing Gakupo's recognizable figure approaching them with due haste.

"My princess." He began as he reached them, kneeling as Rin herself stood up, Len accompanying her. "I have received new information about the rebels."

"What may that be, Minister?" she asked, standing upright while watching him.

"They have finally arranged a date for their assault on the Castle." He replied. "They say that it will be in a weeks time. I have a full breakdown on their force's composition, as well as information on the major leaders of the force."

"How many are there then?"Rin questioned.

"Ten in total, my Princess." He answered curtly from memory.

"Very good." She commented. "I expect them all to be rounded up by the end of this, preferably alive."

"Of course, my Princess." Gakupo answered again, before getting up. "Also, dinner is almost ready. Roast venison as well as stuffed jacket potatoes are to be served."

"Thank you very much." Rin said. "I will leave the preparations to you then. Give them a welcoming party that they will surely remember for the remainder of their short lives." She grinned, like a child plotting a nasty prank. Gakupo nodded at this, watching her retreat to the castle, Len in quick pursuit.

"I pray that you are prepared for what you must do, Len." Gakupo said, loud enough for him to hear it.

Stopping in his tracks, Len didn't look back, blinking a few times in surprise.

"Taking a life is, by no means an easy thing, both within and outside the heat of battle." The minister continued. "But trying not to take a life in the heart of battle, is five times as challenging. If you wish to fulfil your duty, then you must learn to face the hard truth, and be prepared to kill. Don't make the mistake, and get yourself killed in the process."

Silence reigned within the courtyard for a while as the words sank in. Finally, Len gave a curt nod, before setting out again, following his sister into the castle, Gakupo watching him all the way.

* * *

Yesshums, this be chapter 11. I thought about adding some bits in about Meiko, but the only way that I could do that was with another flashback...Sorry for so many of them, but I just can't rack my brains for any other better idea other than starting all over again (As I remember saying in a previous chapter...but of course nobody wants that...)

In any way, Meiko's supposed to be the genetic daughter of the old King's Captain of the Imperial Guard, 'with the name of a lion' as in Akuno/Mothy's blog (That likely referring to Leon, a vocaloid in the same generation as Kaito). But when Rin came in, she had the poor sod executed for 'rebelling' against her rule, and siding with the peasants for their rights n stuff. Meiko of course wasn't willing to sit back and continue as if nothing's happened, so she deserted from the Kingdom of Yellow, and joined up with the dissidents that made up the Red Country as a mercenary. The rest of that, is history.

You know what I realised when I was typing this up? The Japs are fanatics. Why? In January, they went right off their rockers n made a friggin MUSICAL PLAY out of this series back in January, complete with the same music, the ORIGINAL voice actress for Rin and Len (Think her name was Shimoda Asami), acting n all that jazz, n that slipped right past me…

And all the while I was typing this, I was thinking, "This is weird...This is retarted...I WANNA GO SEE IT! *headdesks 10 times" XD

ANYWAY, next chappie's here, n if the tension keeps rising, I'll be writing more in the next few days. But a warning for those of you who's gonna hope it does: Bad things happening to me often end up showing in my writing, so if stuff really, Really REALLY gets bad, then expect a REALLY dark chappie next...although maybe that darkness will just make it all the more epic :D

Now, I really have to say a BIG, BIG, BIIIGGG thank you to everyone reading. Even though the past few months I've barely posted chapters at all, I just realised that the number of views actually multiplied tenfold in the last few months (the count now is over 2,000...O.O), I seriously have to say thank you for supporting this.

Expect the big fight next chapter, and then I can FINALLY end this arc! (This has gone on much longer than I expected, but it's seriously necessary for the background work for a good story... [note: that's code for i wanna put in fillers so bleh you XD])

As always, please read, enjoy, and review (I wanna see whether I've actually dulled in the last few months of complete inactivity...)

08/06/2010


	12. Truly, a Demon and a Servant part 3

Hey all...

Yeah, the exams dug in pretty hard since the last update (& as I said last, mean exams = dark chapter)...well, at least one more week to go, and one more week of stress! Dang, I'm certain half my head turned grey during the past 2 months or something! D:

Just a quick warning to you all: There be VIOLENCE in this chapter! *Gasps!*

But yeah, not too explicit, not too gory either, just a bit of blood here n there, a few flying limbs n heads, kind of like a comedy fight show vs zombies (Like, how a buff guy jumps into a mob of zombies n starts tearing them up, the camera switches to somewhere else and you see zombie limbs n heads flying everywhere in the most comedic form XD)...except that there's no comedy here...

Well, in anycase, the show must go on! And as always, please read, enjoy, n review! :D

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**Truly, a Demon and a Servant (part 3)**

**Chapter XII**

_Written by Shyion_

It was a silent night.

The castle stood alone, towering above the city, its spires standing like a giant watching over its hoard while the full moon stood even higher, as master of the night, its luminescence keeping silent watch over the silent town.

But as a number of people knew, the silence was only the calm before the storm. The castle's halls were lined with men, their swords, spears and armour polished and prepared for the kill, their presence unknown to the horde of rebels that waited just outside the castle gates.

There, hundreds of men lay in wait, many not much more than peasants with nothing else to lose. Though they knew the price of failure, it wasn't as if they had anything else to keep. Armed with an array of weaponry, mercenaries and peasants stood by, hidden within the shadows of the city, waiting for their signal to strike.

Meiko stood at the front, her swords sheathed. Dressed in form-fitting brown leather armour, her cape hanging limp on her back alongside her sword in its sheath, she waited for the signal to begin their assault, tension building as she prepared for the attack, knowing full well that this was the be all, or end all, of many of the men here.

Finally, the signal came to attack, the strike of the 10th hour of the cathedral ringing out across the streets, its final strike accompanied by a sudden onrush of men, leather and metal boots grinding the cobblestone of the central square, rushing towards the palace gates.

The few guards that stood there were caught by surprise; seeing a horde of men materialise from the darkness of the town would shake any man's nerve. But they had their orders, and they knew what to do.

Immediately the men rushed into the castle, closing the Iron Gate that acted tonight as the only entry and exit of the castle, heaving a large ironwood block to lock it up, while other guards began to ring a bell that warned of an attack.

The rebels, knowing of the castle's defences, quickly brought out a makeshift battering ram, cobbled together from the few pieces of material that they had on hand, the clashing din of straining metal mingling with the chiming of the bells now surrounding the castle, as men within moved into their positions, traps laid, and routes cordoned off, the sound of their activity under cover.

Soon enough, the hinges that held the door itself gave way, the ram forcing the iron gate crashing onto the floor with an immense heave, the horde flooding into the castle as their raucous battle cries filled the air, Meiko herself was quiet as she rushed forward, her longsword drawn, her mind ready for the upcoming fight.

The rebels met little resistance as they stormed the castle, what few guards that were unfortunate enough to be caught in the open were slain quickly, their armour battered in by the blunt weapons that they wielded along with their skulls. The men flooded the corridors, the onrush soon discovering blockaded doors and passageways that forced them to move through only a number of corridors and paths, each lined with silent, intimidating armours that bear witness to their onslaught.

'This is very strange…' Meiko thought to herself, questions and suspicions filling her mind as her senses peaked. 'There should be far more resistance, far more patrols and guards…why is it that so many routes are closed off tonight…the servants are also absent…and these armours…I do not remember them being placed here, a year ago when I last walked these corridors…' She was lost in thought as she ran forward, before she looked up at one of the armour's helmets.

"Oh Shit!" She cursed, her feet bringing her to a halt as she saw an insidious glint coming from within, her body receiving a surge of adrenaline as chaos erupted across the corridor, confirming her suspicions.

One of the rebels, in the midst of events, had decided to try and loot the statues somewhere along the corridor, and make his escape to earn a quick profit. As he attempted to remove the greaves on one, he found his arms cleanly severed in two at the elbow.

Screaming bloody murder, his voice was soon cut off as another stroke from the armour severed his head cleanly, each armour piece coming to life before the rebels, the clash of armour drowning out all sound as they jumped from their pedestals, their swords cutting a swathe through the unprepared and untrained rebel army.

Screams, slashes and the unmistakeable stench of blood filled the air as chaos descended, the moon illuminating the armours like ghosts within the dead of the night, slicing and killing anyone in its path.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit!' Meiko cursed in her mind over and over as she fought to survive, parrying and dodging under the armours and their attacks, leaping over the bodies of her dead comrades as she ran back for the exit, managing to stab a few unwary guards as she made her escape.

When she exited from the corridor, she noticed that virtually all of the rebels were in the same state; all fleeing in fear from the corridors as they attempted to escape into the main hallway. Dodging the fleeing men, she quickly surveyed the area, to notice that the exit was blocked again by another contingent of the palace guards, previously hidden outside, the blood gleaming on their blades and armour showing that they had killed many of the men stationed outside to watch for a counter attack.

Cursing again, she quickly ran with the flow of men, hoping to find another exit, but half suspecting that there would be none. And with each passing step, with each hall they found barricaded, her sense of dread grew, a sense finely honed over time to the presence of danger.

'They are funnelling us somewhere…' a voice within spoke out to her subtly. 'Funnelling us somewhere to make our deaths easier no doubt…'

Out of instinct and memory, she quickly disengaged herself from the horde of men, running instead to a servant passageway that she dimly remembered using many years ago. Three guards stood in her way, but their heavy armour slowed them down in comparison to the lighter leather that she wore, allowing her to sneak under their defences, where she killed them all swiftly with a single blow.

"Damnit…" She muttered as she reached the passage, quickly opening up the hidden door within the castle's stone wall, closing it again as soon as she was through.

"Shit…" She cursed again, panting as she collapsed onto the floor of the passage, her mind racing, deciding and thinking of how to complete her mission, or escape.

'They likely have soldiers stationed as fake armours everywhere along the castle...' she thought to herself. 'but I do not believe that they would expect many people to be using these passageways…especially considering their background…if I can move quickly, I should be able to finish this before the night is up…if I can remember how these passages work, that is…' She nodded her head in confirmation, before getting up again, and making her way through the passage.

Soon, she reached a window that overlooked the central courtyard of the castle, caught in darkness as the moon was hidden from view, as if in fear. As she looked out, memories flooded into her mind of the days that she had spent there.

But she was quickly brought back into reality as the rebels flooded the courtyard soon after her arrival at the window, chaos and the instinct to survive leading them there, funnelled into the space. She watched for a while, hidden from view before she shook her head as she made to leave, but a loud crash caused her to stop in her tracks, forcing her to look back at the courtyard.

She estimated that more than half of the rebel force stood in the courtyard, the exits and entry to the courtyard purposefully brought to a collapse, trapping the men within.

Their panic reaching a peak now, they sought for ways to escape, breaking the windows of the castle only to find them heavily boarded up on the inside, before a single voice cut through the air.

"Welcome, dear guests!" The voice said through the darkness. "Welcome, to the Imperial Palace of her Majesty, Rin Kagamine." Out from the shadows of the courtyard a single torch lit up, illuminating a single figure.

"Kamui Gakupo …" Meiko breathed under her breath, his purple hair unmistakeable to her even after all these years.

He was clad in a dark black cape that served to hide his presence; underneath he wore a plain white robe, a single golden metal breastplate coupled with similarly coloured pauldrons, gauntlets and greaves serving to indicate his position as head of the castle garrison. Some of the men, realising this, instantly rushed forward, knowing that if they could kill him, perhaps their problems would end there and then.

But as they reached him, they found themselves riddled with arrows, their bodies collapsing lifeless onto the ground inches away from Gakupo, who hadn't moved a single muscle in fear nor command.

"Ah ah, that isn't really something that you should do to your host." He commented nonchalantly, holding the torch. "But as your hosts, I understand that it is our duty, no, obligation, to indulge your wishes." He snapped the fingers of his free hand, and as if by cue, the moon came out of hiding, revealing a veritable army of men standing up behind him, a row of men dressed in the armour of the imperial guard coupled with shields and swords, as well as another row behind them in similar armour, equipped with fully strung bows and arrows. Their armour gleamed menacingly within the night, the moon illuminating them like phantasms appearing from thin air.

"Of course, we will treat you accordingly, and answer your calls." He continued after a short pause, bowing as if he were a real host over an important dinner party, before standing upright again. "Your call for blood and death tonight, will only be answered by your own blood, and your own painful screams of death."

With a single smooth motion, he unsheathed his sword with his right hand, pointing it at the rebel army who recoiled as if he were the grim reaper himself. Pausing for a while, he then uttered two words, sealing their inescapable fate.

"Get them."

At once the archers let loose their bows and arrows, riddling the closely clustered rebel army, their cries of pain, terror and desperation drowned out by the sound of crunching metal as the army advanced forward, past Gakupo, and into the chaos, slicing and killing all that remained with simplistic ease.

"A massacre…" Meiko muttered to herself as she watched, a hand over her beating heart as she realised her close shave with death. "A complete rout…" She looked up the stairs in her passage, her mind switching between continuing with her mission, or running for her life. But very quickly, she clenched her teeth, and made her decision.

"I do this for you…Both of you." She muttered to herself, the memories of her lost loved ones forcing her feet to move onwards, as she continued deeper into the lair, the sounds of screaming accompanying her through the passageway.

* * *

Len stood in the empty hall leading to Rin's chambers, his twin swords sheathed in his scabbard, the curtains open to flood the passage in the bright white light of the moon. Leaning within one of the dark crevices, his presence would go unnoticed by most, the corridor empty as screams of death echoed faintly like restless ghosts.

"And so it has begun." Len whispered to himself, closing his eyes as he waited motionless, fully aware of the plan.

'I am to wait here as a personal bodyguard,' he thought to himself, going over the plan. 'Any man that manages to sneak past the guards and army, I am to deal with.' But at that moment, his thoughts coupled with the constant screams of death brought to memory the dread he felt four months ago.

"Damnit…" He cursed under his breath, forcing back bile. "I cannot falter now…"

'I don't want to kill…' a voice within him said. 'There must be some way…some way of disabling them, knocking them unconscious…It can't be as hard as Gakupo said, can it?' He clenched his hand, feeling and hearing metal. 'I'm sure I can end this, without taking a life…At least, until morning, when everything is over…'

Just as he said that, he heard the clamour of footsteps echoing through the empty hall, as well as voices.

"Oy, what in damn 'ell was that!" One voice exclaimed

"Damnit, we gotta get outta here!" Another said.

Len listened in as the voices drew closer, using the number of voices to gauge how many there are, and what background they came from.

"Crude language…Peasants…four of them." He muttered behind the curtains, in the shadows. "They're coming this way…"

"Ey, what's this?" One of the men questioned.

"Big door, fancy carving, satin curtains…" Another listed out items of interest in the corridor. "Some bigshot here alright…"

"Maybes we can grab some loot before we get the hell outta here eh?" a third commented.

"Best idea I've heard all day!" The last proclaimed.

'So they were lucky enough to get through one of the barricades and escaped the grand finale then…' Len thought to himself, thinking. 'But if they enter here, they're going to find the Princess…and I cannot let that happen!'

Slowly, he stepped out of the shadows, the sudden dark figure appearing from the shadows enough to halt the four men in their path.

"Congratulations on making it this far, dear guests." Len said, walking forward to stand in the middle of the room, his steps accompanied by the clink of his metal greaves upon the ground floor, like a wandering chained ghost.

Len wore full black trousers and coat, along with white gloves that concealed his hands. In the corridors, his dark figure contrasted greatly with the moon's beams that came through from the glass windows, sending a chill up the four intruder's spines.

Indeed, Len's suspicions were correct; all four were peasants, or lower class workers, their weapons improvised from common day items: a farmer's scythe; a butcher's cleaver, an iron poker turned into spear, and smithing hammers. Their builds match their profession, a farmer, a butcher, baker, and apprentice blacksmith, each draped in cheap leather armour that offered minimal protection from bladed weapons and arrows. From their varied builds, he decided to incapacitate the butcher and blacksmiths first, then disable the baker and farmer's weapons to place a stopper in their fight.

'I don't want to kill them…' He thought again. 'I've had enough of death, I'll just force them into running, and I won't have to kill them.'

"I welcome you, to the Princess' private chambers." Len continued, bowing elaborately.

"Oy, umm…who's this guy…" the baker asked, his makeshift spear held limp at his side.

"Who cares?" The farmer retorted, readying his scythe. "That damn bitch is on the other side of that door! Take her down, & we'll be the heroes of the town! Of the Kingdom!"

"That's an even better idea than the last one!" The blacksmith said, readying his hammers.

"It appears that I must teach you proper etiquette before your Princess." Len replied emotionless, drawing a sword and twirling it in the air, the blade dancing in the moonlight, before halting suddenly in his battle stance.

"E's just a damn kid." One of his adversaries commented. And as one, they charged forward, their weapons at the ready.

But without much training, they had no practice in coordinating their attacks together, their weapons cumbersome for them to use, their attacks basic and easy to evade.

Rolling under the scythe's first attacks, he knocked one of the blacksmiths off their feet, catching one of the hammers in his free hand and launching it at the butcher, striking him at the base of his neck, sending him careening into the wall, dragging down one side of the curtains, entangling him completely.

Twirling, he brushed off an attempted stab from the baker, while catching the hook of the scythe midway through attack. Drawing his other sword with his free hand, he sliced the cheap wood that formed the scythe's handle, rendering it useless as the blade dropped to the ground, the farmer carried on by his own energy into the floor. Turning around, he sidestepped another jab from the makeshift spear, grabbing it with his left and smashing the baker's face in with a shattering right hand punch, sending him flying as he lost the grip on his weapon.

'Please, just go back…' Len thought to himself as he dropped the spear on the floor, but speaking different words.

"Still think I'm 'just a kid?'" He began to sheathe his swords and speak again, before a voice yelled at him from behind.

"Yes, you bastard!"

Turning around, he brought his sword up quickly enough to parry another attack aimed at the side of his head from the blacksmith.

The force of the strike was immense; far more than Len could have expected, resulting in his sword being knocked out of his grip, clattering on the floor. Wasting no time, Len let loose a backhanded strike, paralysing the blacksmith for a precious few seconds.

'They want to kill me…' Len thought all the while, alarmed. 'I can't force them to run; I have to knock them out! But why…'

In one fluid motion, he turned around to grip the man's shoulder tightly with his left hand, letting fly with an almighty smash with his right that landed square on the blacksmith's face, having had little time to react. Bringing his fist back, he lashed out several more times at his face, before letting him fall backwards onto the ground unconscious.

He noticed that his previously white glove was now stained with red, the repeated impacts shattering several areas on his adversaries face. The metallic smell of blood was unmistakeable, and in an instant his stomach began to lurch again once more, his mind now away from the combat, in an attempt to stave off the memories of his murder.

'No...' He thought earnestly, trying to pull himself together. 'This is not murder…it's incapacitating him…to protect her…'

The butcher, having managed to disentangle himself from the mass of cloth, came forward with cleavers at the ready, face red with rage at the trouble he had just been put through by a mere child, his head still throbbing heavily from the hammer's impact. He heaved his hand skyward at Len's prone figure, the cleaver clasped firmly.

"You're mincemeat, boy!" The man bellowed, bringing down his arm just as Len was brought back to the present.

Automatically he brought his right hand up at an angle, his offhand offering support to a futile defence.

'_Don't make the mistake, and get yourself killed in the process._'

But instead of cutting through flesh and bone, the cleaver was parried off, the almighty screech of metal scraping against metal where there should not have been, sent a shock throughout the hall for those who can hear. For the cleaver's attack had revealed that Len did not go in unprepared; metal plate gauntlets covering his forearm completely shone in the moonlight, his glove and sleeve torn completely from the attack.

"Close, but not close enough." He muttered as he brought his left hand to strike the butcher hard in his astonished face, rage building as he slowly realised how futile it was, trying to keep them alive.

'There must be another way!' his mind screamed as he unleashed his attack.

The butcher's mass preventing him from falling over easily, Len twirled on his right hand, using the momentum to smash his foot into the side of the butcher. Immediately from his position, he jumped onto his feet, the instinct for survival taking control over him now, pushing his previous fears back into the darkness. Spinning on the heel of his foot, he lashed out with a roundhouse kick straight into his enemy's stomach, causing him to double up in pain, before bringing down both of his fists onto the unfortunate man's head, knocking him unconscious.

'Yes! Halfway there!' his mind triumphed. 'There is another way!'

Just as he had finished, he heard a quiet mutter coming from the other side of the room. Looking up, he saw that the renegade farmer had managed to sneak past him while he was busy, and was almost at the door to Rin's chambers, carrying Len's discarded sword!

"No!" He yelled, before attempting to sidestep another attack from the baker, having managed to regain his grip on the spear with his remaining hand. What happened next, felt as if an age had passed to the young boy, yet in truth happened in a matter of seconds.

The strike barely missed, Len's preoccupation with the man nearly at his liege's doors costing him. The iron poker scraped against his right cheek, causing a welt of blood to develop, and trickle down a bit. As if like the key to a lock, the wound opened something deep within him, a flood of memories of a time long gone, flashing before his eyes as if he were at death's doorstep.

Two siblings at a beach. Two siblings within the castle corridors, playing pranks on passing servants. Two siblings playing in a castle courtyard, another girl unknown to him playing alongside. These were just a few to name, a few that stood out most to him. And after what seemed like an eternity of passing images, a single one broke through the miasma; that of Rin and Len, sitting under a tree, happily enjoying each other's company.

'_If you wish to fulfil your duty, then you must learn to face the hard truth, and be prepared to kill._'

"Fine then." He muttered, in response to the solemn statement within his mind.

"Fine then." He repeated again louder, blood trickling down his cheek as the baker drew back for another jab.

"If this is the only way, then so be it!" He proclaimed loudly, just as the baker launched his final attack. In a single motion, he dodged the blow whilst unsheathing his remaining sword, stabbing it backhanded into the baker's stomach behind him.

Pulling out the sword almost immediately, he twirled on the balls of his feet, bringing it up to slash the man's neck, drops of blood staining his black clothes and face, his eyes as hard and as cold as emerald jewels. Finishing his slice, he released his grip on his sword, claiming the spear as it fell from the baker's hands, turning around and hurling it like a javelin, straight into the farmer's retreating back, burying itself in just as he reached the door. The momentum forced him forward a few staggering steps, before he crashed into the door with a dull thud, crumpling like a rag doll immediately afterwards.

After a few moments to recover from the sudden shock, he suddenly realised that a dark figure was advancing upon him from the shadows, his golden locks enshrouding his face from the moon as his heavy steps reverberated throughout the hall. Desperately, with rising terror, he sought to remove the spear embedded into his back, succeeding only in doing so just as Len reached him, his sword hanging firmly in his grasp.

"Please… don't…" The man begged, tears welling from his eyes filled with fear, blood leaking slowly out of his wound onto the floor.

"I thought that this could have all ended without a single drop of blood shed on my part." Len began with his head hung low, speaking half to himself, and half to his foe. "I thought that I could force you into submission, force you to run away. I thought that you, all of you, were just misguided, that false rumours and the like served to make you believe that your troubles could be solved just by deposing her. But now I see the painful reality." He jerked his head up, emerald eyes shining through the darkness, a judge about to pass sentence on a condemned man.

"I do not want to kill." He continued after a pause. "But today, as I fought you, I finally realised the weighting of my teacher's words. That no matter how hard we try not to kill, there will be others out there that will try to kill you, and the ones that you wish to protect. If you want to survive against them, you have to learn to kill. This hard truth, I must now accept wholeheartedly, as I fought you men." He looked accusingly at the man, his grip on his sword tightening as rage began to overboil.

"I realised your burning desire for revenge, for whatever slight that she might have committed against you. And I realise that there is no other way to snuff out that flame, other than to snuff out your life. The Princess is everything to me. She is not what you see her as. Hell, I don't even know what you see her as. All I know is that I must snuff out that desire for revenge, no matter the cost. To stand by her side, I want to do it. To protect her, I can do it. Just to see her smiling again, I will do it!"

He raised his sword above him with both hands, the blade glinting clean within the moonlight. An executioner, on the executioner's block.

"Can't we talk about this first!" He screamed, a final plea in an attempt to spare his life, although part of him already knew the answer.

"No. You wouldn't have talked about it first, with the Princess. With my Sister."

A clean strike, a single swipe, and the man's head was gone. His body collapsed onto the floor, limp alongside his head, rolling like a child's abandoned toy.

After cleaning the blade on the man's leather tunic, he picked up his second sword from the corpse's limp hand, before dragging the body to one side. Opening the door, he peeked in, careful not to let any sign of blood show.

There within, Rin slept soundly within her satin sheets, moonlight illuminating the room clearly.

"Len…" Her voice whispered from the sheets. "Is that you?"

"Yes, my Princess." The servant replied calmly.

"I heard noises…" She asked, wriggling her head above the covers to look at him.

"It is nothing you should be worried about, my Princess." He replied smiling. "Please, return to sleep." She nodded, smiling once at him before rolling over, fast asleep once more.

'Thankfully these doors are thick, and soundproof…' He thought to himself grimly as he closed the doors shut. For a few moments, silence reigned through the hallway, the dead and unconscious bodies of his foes littering the ground in the moonlight, his black figure standing watch.

Then, he heard the sound of running. Boots clattering, he knew that more men were coming. Slowly he turned around, looking at the end of the hallway to see another, much larger group of men staring dumbstruck at the chaos caused by him.

And with a sudden smirk, he asked dryly;

"So, who else wants to die? I know who you're looking for, and she slumbers just beyond this door. Come and get her, if you can get through me!" Unsheathing his swords once more, he flourished them as the men rushed forward, knowing their target was behind him.

Cutting a rope hidden within the shadows, he caused all the curtains in the corridor to close on themselves, leaving the entire hallway covered in darkness, the only source of light from a torn window, illuminating a hall where the skeleton hands of death took hold, and the screams of men echoed through the castle's corridors far and wide.

For within its murky depths, a blond-haired, emerald-eyed demon lurked.

* * *

"How long have I been clambering through this damn place? Everybody must have died by now…" Meiko cursed over and over as she wandered through the castle's hidden passageways. "This place is endless… Ah damnit, I wish I spent more time around here back then…" Her memories flooded forward, but she pushed them back, along with the weariness that had managed to seep through her bones. "I've gotta find her… I've gotta push on…" And continuing her climb, she heard the faint sounds of screaming echo through the darkness.

'What is it now…' she questioned in her mind, careful not to speak lest anyone hear her. She moved forward on tiptoe, following the noise as she found another passageway, and a door at its end.

'A hidden door here…' She thought to herself. 'And the screaming has stopped now… what's happened here…'

Slowly, she pushed open the door, as she laid eyes on a dark corridor that stank of blood. A single, torn curtain revealed a single figure within the darkness, his dark coat covered with stains of even darker patches unmistakeably from blood, his two silver swords illuminated in the moonlight that shone through. The figure turned slightly to look out through the windows, and as she saw his face, she felt her very knees tremble.

Quickly, she closed the door as soundlessly as possible, and fled down the stairs as if the devil himself was upon her.

For she thought, that the dead had returned to life, and he now stood between her and her target. The figure, she knew in her heart, from deep within her memory, was unmistakeably that of Rin Kagamine's twin brother; Len Kagamine.

Yet as she ran, the very demon that she feared knelt on the floor in front of the open window, his swords laid befouled on the floor, his hands limp at his sides as he stared up into the pure moon, his eyes as lost as his soul.

Truly, he knew it, both a demon and a servant. That was him.

* * *

Yeah, this be quite a dark chapter...I'm sorry if I shattered any fantasies about Len not being able to hurt a fly XD (Well, he IS doing it for his Princess, and for her, nothing is impossible)

Erm...Yeah, this one, I'm not completely certain, but I have a nagging feeling that this chapter was a bit too violent for T rating, but my bro said that as long as it didn't go into REALLY explicit detail then it's fine...Just a bit of blood spurting here n there's fine he says...Meh, m not bothered to change the rating anyway XD

I got no other idea for the rebel raid bit, I racked my brains for something good, but all I could think of was soldiers posing as armours...Kind of cliche, but it gets the effect done. You do NOT want an armour suddenly coming to life before your eyes, swinging its sword and aiming for your head XD. (N let's not forget about Meiko...ooh boy, I definitely don't wanna be in HER shoes...)

Im thinking about writing a side story for this. It's gonna be much lighter (in terms of sheer text amount XD) ... and highly likely, it will include humor. xD It'll be a romance tale from Mikus POV; featuring the whole KaitoxMikuxLen duel HOHOHOHOHO!~ The best part is, it'll go hand in hand with this one, but it wont be so confusing that you'll need to read this one to understand it. Well, everybody'll have to wait n see if that actually comes to fruition after the exams are done.

Ah well, another week, another time. I might be able to get another chapter out again by the end of the exams (Kind of like, my celebration party thing XD)

16/06/2010


	13. A Beautiful World, a Beautiful Country

OH YEAH!

Next one up, and exams are done, and SCHOOL'S OUT! :D

Ok, enough blubbering from me, go read this next chappie that I've crafted (In like, 2 hrs or something in the middle of the night XDD {no, not really, this one took me longer than that, but the bit about middle of the night is _kinda_ true...})

As always, please Read, Enjoy, & Review! :D

* * *

**A Beautiful World, a Beautiful Country**

**Chapter XIII**

_Written by Shyion_

He awoke with a start, within his own room, under the sheets as the golden light of a late morning streamed through his window.

The golden haired boy sat up in bed, barely remembering the events that had transpired who knows how long ago, yet the screams of men still reverberated through his head like how a bell resounds when it has been struck. He barely noticed his change of clothes; from his coat, now into white bed linens.

"Awake now, I see." A voice commented behind him.

Len snapped his head around to the origin of the voice, recognising the purple hair immediately.

"Gakupo…" He whispered the name.

The man in question leaned on the wall of his room, dressed in black trousers and a white long-sleeved shirt, his coat hanging on a chair within the room, along with his sword. Although his body didn't, his eyes showed weariness that could only be brought about by a stressful, sleepless night.

"You did well, Len." He praised, dragging the chair over to sit by the boy's bedside.

"What time is it…?" Len asked.

"The Cathedral just recently struck the eleventh hour of the day." The minister reported. "I found you asleep in front of Rin's chambers at about 4 in the morning, after I was certain that the castle was rid of the rebels, and any left were caught alive."

"How…" The boy began asking another question, but found the next few words caught in his throat.

"Many?" Gakupo finished for him. Seeing Len nod, he continued. "I counted 23 bodies when I found you."

'23…' Len thought to himself, as he stared at his hands, gripping the sheets. 'That makes 24 deaths on my soul.'

"I took you to your bed here, and got some of the remaining servants to help you change clothes while I supervised the castle's cleaning." When Len just nodded, a strange silence permeated the room for a time, before Gakupo sighed.

"Rin came to visit when she woke up."

"How is she?" Len asked immediately, turning his face.

"She is fine." The man smiled, tiredly. "I managed to clean up the castle decently before she awoke.

"That's good…" Len said, before letting his gaze drift to his hands.

"She has ordered the execution of the rebels that we have caught, two days from now." Gakupo stated, getting up.

"Alright, I'll be there." Len replied, looking up at the man.

"No, you should stay here, and get some rest." The man was now putting on his coat. "You need to get some rest; you fought tooth and nail for at least four hours constantly. Push your body any further, and Rin won't let me live this down."

The boy smiled a bit at the last comment, but he refused to back down. "No, I will be there to accompany her."

"Fine, alright then." Gakupo gave after a few moments, too tired and too concerned with other matters to insist. "I'll come for you at the designated time. In the meantime, stay here and rest up. I'll have your lunch delivered to you later. I've arranged for your duties to be taken over temporarily for now." When Len nodded his reply, he packed up and left the room, closing the door gently.

As he watched the man leave, Len's mind began to wander away as he sat in bed, immobile as he thought long and hard about what had transpired, his hand moving unconsciously to feel the bandage that covered the wound on his cheek.

The purple-haired man sighed as he closed the door. His hands still holding onto the handles of the doors, he let his forehead rest on the cool wood, closing his eyes.

"I think he deserves a break, after all this." A voice said behind him.

"Yeah, I know, Luka." He said, not turning around.

"He's had it very hard, and last night definitely doesn't bode well for him and his body." Dressed in a complete black cheongsam, her pink hair tied tightly behind her head, her padded feet made only the softest patter as she stepped towards him, out of the shadows.

"I know." He replied simply. "But it isn't in my power to give my mistress' valet permission to leave just like that, without consulting her."

"Well," she began, turning around and leaning on his solid, yet slightly hunched figure. "You'd better try and convince the Princess soon. It'll be your head on the block if his health deteriorates, like you said."

"Who'll be able to take care of him then?" He asked, sending the ball back. "Giving him leave is easy enough for me, but he's a boy of 14, Luka. Who knows what will happen to him outside of the Castle?"

"And may I ask who has been taking care of him for the past seven years?" She replied, looking up at the ceiling.

A small silence permeated the corridor, the two standing back to back.

"Fine." Gakupo said, smiling. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Seven men stood lined upon a raised platform, hastily constructed within the last few hours. Their hands tied behind their backs with strong rope, and an imperial guard standing directly behind each, their full, shining armour an imposing figure behind the downcast men.

A crowd gathered within the central square, unlike any that Meiko had ever seen before as she weaved her way through them, her cloak and hood drawn tightly over her to hide herself.

'At least 500 people, reduced now to only seven…' she thought to herself. 'All present here, are the men that I contracted out with. The other three…must have been more fortunate, having been spared this…humiliation.' She almost spat that word out, barely managing to contain it before looking up at the men.

'God bless your souls, my fellow comrades in arms.' She began, clasping her hands together under her cloak. 'Your sacrifices will not go in vain. I will make sure to finish what you have started.' She continued her prayer for a few more moments, the miasma of peasants and workers moving around her ceaselessly.

"Good afternoon, Citizens of the Kingdom of Yellow!" A voice bellowed out across the square, silencing all within as all attention focused on the Princess' Minister, who stood atop the platform. Sitting just behind him, on a slightly raised platform to afford her a full view of the square, sat the young Princess, accompanied by her servant.

'There is no mistake about it…' Meiko thought, grinding her teeth, her attention focused entirely on the boy next to royalty. 'No matter how much I try to deny it, that is definitely Len.' She shook her head, before noticing the bandage covering his cheek. 'So many questions, so little time to answer all of them…'

"On the evening two days ago, several hundred men stormed the Imperial Castle, hoping to murder our beloved future Monarch for their own selfish needs and wishes. The rebellion of course, was crushed; their lack of training, and poorly organized leadership lead to the complete elimination of the group. All, but these seven." He then pointed accusingly at the men, their faces bowed in shame, their hopes crushed. "Treason can only be rewarded by capital punishment, as I am certain you all know. And so today, their sentence is death, by the guillotine!"

The guards on cue pushed the rebels forward, each collapsing onto the guillotine stalls one by one, their heads locked in place before the guards stepped back off the platform, an executioner with his all-recognisable black cap stepping on instead.

"Let this be an example to all of you," Gakupo continued, "that any such acts of treason will invariably result in death, no matter the status of the persons in question."

'There is no hope here, at least for now…' Meiko thought to herself, getting ready to leave before the end comes. 'I think it's time I left this wretched Kingdom for a while…' Quickly, she disappeared into the throng of the crowd, just as Gakupo finished.

Nodding once to the executioner, the man stepped forward, releasing the strings that held the guillotine blades in position. Each dropped one after another like a predator having sighted its quarry. Each made the exact same sound, the scrape of wood, and the slash of flesh as each head rolled off into a bowl beneath in due order and speed.

After a few moments of silence, the Princess herself stood up, Gakupo moving aside so that all could see her, dressed in a bright yellow, high-necked dress, its long sleeves accompanied by black lace at its hem.

"Now, kneel down before me!" She said in almost childish glee to the crowds, sweeping her right hand casually over the crowd below. And indeed they did, for they knew now that no one challenges Princess Rin Kagamine, and expects to walk away with their head attached.

Ironically, just at the moment where all the citizens within the square had knelt, the Cathedral's bells struck three within the afternoon.

"Ah, it's time for a snack!" She stated almost immediately afterwards, ignorant now of the crowd kneeling before her.

Taking her servant's outstretched hand, she then descended the platform, and entered the castle, along with a retinue of the Imperial Guard, the peasants left in a stunned stupor for several moments afterwards, before they decided that they were free to move.

* * *

"Excellent work today, Gakupo!" Rin exclaimed as she sat in her study. "I'm sure they will not try anything again, anytime soon." Len was absent, having been sent down to collect the Princess' snack.

"I am certain of that as well, my Princess." The minister replied, bowing as he held a ream of today's documents.

Today he was dressed in a black suit with golden trimming, his hair tied into three, roughly equal sized tails that draped down his back like a cloak.

"Well, now that that matter is over, I think we can get on with the remainder of today's business." He continued without hesitation.

"But I thought we had already finished in the morning?" Rin queried.

"Yes, my Princess, we have. But that is only the official matters. There is one thing that I really, really must ask of you, my Princess."

"And what may that be?" She asked, leaning back on her chair like a contented cat.

"Well, forgive me for saying, my Princess, but I believe that Len deserves a holiday."

"Hmm…" She thought for a moment, recalling her brother's services over the past 3 months within the Palace. "I understand your reasoning for this, Gakupo, and I believe that it is an excellent idea as well. He has done a great deal of work around the Castle, especially in the last month, and I am sure he would appreciate a break. After all, the rebellion has been crushed, and the other servants are returning shortly. Truly Gakupo, I never would have thought of that."

"Princess, your snack is ready." A voice came from the opposite side of the study's oak doors.

"Ah yes, come in, Len." Rin replied, as Gakupo opened the door.

"Today's snack is sponge cake with…Earl Grey Tea, my Princess." Len said almost robotically as he laid the snack upon her desk.

"Thank you, Len." She smiled at him, who returned the smile back, after a brief pause.

"Len, I have considered your work within the castle for the past three months to be of excellent quality, and I believe that you deserve a well-earned holiday."

"…Excuse me, my Princess?" Len asked, blinking a few times as he wondered as to what he had heard.

"I believe that you deserve a holiday." Rin repeated again. "Mind you, not a very long one though."

"Um…but…where do I go? What do I do?" Len asked, flabbergasted at the sudden news that he was out of a job for at least a week or two.

"Oh, I don't know." Rin thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps you could visit the other countries around? The Kingdom of Green, perhaps? Or maybe Blue…" Her thoughts fluttered off for a brief moment, thinking of Kaito, before returning again. "Well, you can ask Gakupo as to where you could visit for the next two weeks. He did suggest this after all."

Len looked at Gakupo sideways, seeing him return a confident grin made him know that it was true.

"We will provide you with spending money from the Royal Treasury, that you can use to your leisure while on your holiday." Rin stated.

'A holiday?' he thought to himself, speechless as Gakupo prepared the necessary documents for withdrawal of cash, as well as areas that the boy could visit.

'What am I going to do for the next few weeks?'

* * *

"Alright, everyone off!"

Len was jolted awake by the wagon master's call. Taking a few moments to orientate himself, he quickly stepped off the wagon and paid the taxi fee, the boy wearing a white long sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows, as well as black shorts. He held a leather sling bag over his right shoulder, containing a change of clothes and some food from the last stop of the wagon. By his belt, jingled a small, almost unnoticeable bag of coins.

'Hmmm…' He thought to himself solemnly as he dropped the coins in the man's hand. 'I've been kicked out of the Castle on a holiday…What in God's name am I supposed to do now?' He walked a bit away from the caravan, looking at the surrounding area.

It was a relatively large village, on the border of the Country of Green. Under Gakupo's advice, Len had decided to spend some time outside of the Yellow Kingdom, and visit the Country of Green for a spell. This particular village had many inns, as well as marketplaces, with the streets lined with hawkers selling both food and goods, their origins a mix of the Kingdoms of Yellow and Green.

"Hey! Len!" A voice called out to him from between the houses.

The boy turned around, and saw the unmistakeable pink hair. Unable to help himself, he smiled, and ran over.

"Luka." He said as he arrived. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to take care of you while you're out, silly boy!" She ruffled his hair playfully. "You got kicked out of the Castle for a few weeks, so someone needs to take care of you while you're out!" Today she wore a short sleeved, long brown dress with a white apron tied around her waist, her hair tied into a single tail that reached down her back.

"It's not as if I'd cause a riot or anything!" He laughed as he smoothed out his hair.

"Come on, I'll take you to the inn we're at while we stay in this village for now." She held out a hand, which the young boy freely took, the pair walking along the street as would a mother and her child.

'Just like old times…' Len thought. 'Just like old times…'

* * *

"How have you liked it here so far, young man?" An old lady asked, as Len came down the stairs, the bright rays of the morning sun illuminating the humble, oaken common room of the inn, its seats and tables empty for now.

"Oh, very much, thank you." He said, smiling as he sat down at the counter, studying the old man across its glossy surface.

To the old lady's body, her age acted almost like a visible weight equal to the years he had spent alive, his back stooped and a walking cane necessary for him to keep walking properly. He had long ago given his establishment to his son to run.

"That's good to hear!" The man in question boomed, pushing open the doors to the kitchen behind the counter, a steaming tray of food in his hands. A messy chef's apron covered his body, a white sleeveless shirt stained with sweat earned in the kitchen behind, while a shin-length pair of dark blue, thick pants protected his legs. Standing at least six feet tall, his grizzly black beard and unkept hair exuded a sense of humbleness, pride and also comfort to all who would see him the first time.

"Here, eat up!" He placed the tray in front of the boy before continuing. "Young men like you need all the food you can get! So's you can grow big and strong of course." Leaning closer, he whispered. "So you can land a girl as hot as yer mother!" Laughing heartily, he placed a jug of water next to Len's tray while taking out a wooden mug for him to use.

"No no, I don't think I'll be searching just yet!" The boy replied, smiling as he began to dig into his food.

The man returned to the kitchen, leaving Len to eat alone in the room with the old lady, watching him intently as he ate, almost as if reading an open book.

"Alright, thanks for the food!" He said, standing up and placing the empty jug and mug onto the tray alongside his empty bowl of food. The old lady nodded, before turning around and tapping his cane onto the wooden beam of the inn's door.

A few moments later, a young boy exited from the doors, having seen less than ten years on this earth. He wore an ill-fitting, loose set of an elbow-length black shirt and brown trousers reaching to his ankles, his black hair tied together at the back of his head, creating a short trail of black down the middle of his neck.

"I'll take the tray back to wash for you, sir." He said, bowing before moving to execute his statement quickly and efficiently, cleaning the counter in a few seconds.

"He's a good boy, my grandson." The old lady said as the boy in question disappeared behind the doors. "Too bad he won't be staying here in the village for much longer."

"Why? What happened?" Len asked, slightly worried.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, young man." The old lady said, turning back to him. "He just received an apprenticeship in a church, some ways away from this here village." She sighed before continuing. "Young people these days, always eager to push their own boundaries. I've left this village at most twelve times in my entire life, yet my dear child's leaving it forever." She smiled gently as she looked up at Len's standing figure.

"You yourself…You're not from around here, are you?" She asked him. "Could you refresh my mind again?"

"Yes, I'm from another country." He replied dutifully, standing. "The Kingdom of Yellow, to be exact."

"Ah, I see." She nodded her head gently. "I haven't seen you around the village at all you see, and my memory nowadays seems to be failing me quite often nowadays. Ah well, I assume you'll be going out to explore the town today? It's your last day, your mother told me."

"Yes, I was planning to see what I could buy to take back." Len said, moving towards the inn's doors slowly, the old lady following him around the counter.

"I see." She said simply. "Well, I'd suggest the western side of this town, it always has a few things for everyone."

"Alright, thank you." He said, nodding as they reached the doors.

"Take care then, young man." She said as he opened the doors. "Watch your purse as well, the crowds tend to attract pick-pocket no matter where you go."

"I will, I will." Len replied, waving a hand before setting off into the crowd.

The old lady sighed a little, watching Len's figure disappear into the morning throng of people just as her grandson came up beside her to look out.

"Who was that, grandma?" He asked.

"A young boy with many choices to make in the near future." She replied, her voice filled with sadness, still watching the crowd. "Such a tragedy indeed…But, I think…" She began, turning to the young boy. "That you may be able to help him, sometime later."

Turning back again to the crowd after a few seconds of silence between the two, she began again. "I want you to deliver a message to him, dear."

"Alright, what is it?" The boy asked, apparently quite used to his grandmother's requests.

"Not now." She said. "And the message, isn't from me. You'll understand when, and what that message is. Along, with who that message is from, later."

"Yes, grandma." He replied, watching the crowd.

"Also, your birthmark is showing." She commented, not looking at him.

"What's so special about this birthmark anyway, grandma?" He asked, shifting his shirt a bit to hide it.

"I can't really explain it." She said. "Just that, the church chose you out of all the candidates because of that birthmark."

The boy shrugged, his shirt coming down a bit again to expose the mark, before he pulled it up again to hide it.

There, on his right shoulder, was a dark, brown splotch that vaguely resembled an insect.

* * *

"Two days now." Len whispered to himself, walking along the crowded pathways. He tossed an apple gently in the air, catching it, and tossing it again as he walked. He looked around him at the children running about in play, the street vendors selling their wares, the short and neat houses and buildings lining the streets. Caravans of merchants, travellers and tourists passed by, the rumblings of their wheels intermingling with the neighing of their horses as well as the sounds of the village.

'Luka's left me to do what I want to do for today, our last day in this village.' He thought to himself, taking a bite out of the apple. 'Tomorrow, we're leaving for this Country's Capital city.' He looked up at the sky, watching a bird fly over as he walked to the outskirts of the town.

'It's not that crowded around here…' He thought to himself. 'Not as crowded as some of the other areas of this village, at least.'

"Oof!" A child's voice grunted down one of the streets.

"Hm?" Looking around, Len turned to look for the sound of that voice, before heading down a side alley towards the street where he thought it came from.

"Oh dear! Are you alright?" A voice asked from the street again. Len slowed down, reaching the side alley's entrance, before peeking around the corner.

A young boy, not much more than 4 years of age knelt down on the dirt ground, his green shirt and grey trousers fitting his small body loosely. His face was dirty slightly due to a fall, but the small stains were being taken care of by a young girl.

Her green servant's dress covered her from shoulder to feet, her equally long, and similarly matching teal green hair hung down from two ponytails. Kneeling on the ground, a wicker basket of goods lay by her side as she used a handkerchief to clean up the child's face, her own hidden from view.

"There, all better now?" She asked him.

"Thanks, ma'am!" He grinned at her, before running off again to play.

"Be careful now!" She shouted to him, turning around and watching him go. He turned around briefly, waving to her, before continuing on his way. The girl placed her hands on her hips, watching the boy run. Then, she saw Len standing in the alley, watching the boy run off as well for a few more moments, before turning to look at her.

An odd silence permeated the air, the two watching each other for an unknown amount of time, before another girl's voice down the street broke the silence.

"Miku! Hurry up! The cart's about to leave!"

"Ah, alright Haku, I'm coming!" The teal-haired girl replied. Picking up her basket, she turned around and began to walk away down the street. But after a few steps, she turned around, waved her hand at him and smiled.

Len jumped slightly, his hand moving automatically afterwards to respond, waving goodbye to her in return as she continued down the road, meeting up with another girl, her hair as long as hers, but arranged in a single, silver tail. Wearing a similar, but white coloured dress, she stood a few centimetres taller than Miku, who joined up with her soon enough, both walking down the path at a brisk pace to meet with a cart, the two talking as they went.

* * *

Ack, the beginning of the end! Oh noes! D:

Well, not really, I've still got quite a bit left to throw at you with this big thing. My bro says this might end up being the largest fanfic in the vocaloid section if I keep writing like this XDD...I don't know whether that's a GOOD thing, or a really BAD thing...

Anway, the boy WILL appear in the later chapters (If I remember to stuff him there that is XD), he'll play a small but vital role in the storyline that's outside what's in the PV's. (Yes, I'm taking great amounts of liberties with the storyline in this thing, I know. It's almost like I'm pulling a piece of plasticine out of the box and twisting it each way there and however to get something that's just no longer the original, yet at the same time IS the original, if you get what I mean XDD)

How'd you like Rin in this chapter? I see her more of a spoilt brat rather than evil, & I wonder if this chapter can convey that even more...(I just wish that this is the image that I've been projecting over the chapters to people...)

I had a lot of trouble thinking up a name for this chapter, and I'm thinking of giving up naming chapters entirely from now onwards XDD...Should I you think? I'm not even sure if this title really is appropriate for what happens in this chapter...Your thoughts please? I always look forward to hearing them (via Review/PM of course).

Alright, not much more from me now. Hopefully I'll revert back to the original schedule of one update per week (give or take a few days of course), now that school's out and exams are over (unless my exam results are just sooo bad that I turn emo all the way down to the core T.T)

See you then!

27/06/2010


	14. A White Flower in a Sea of Green

Shit...just, shit...

Yeah, it's like, 3-4 days late, but seriously speaking, as I was writing this damn thing, I found it unreasonably hard to move my fingers...Like they were stuck in tar or the joints were completely rusted dead. I just don't know why...

Well, in any case, be happy that this damn thing came out now instead of saturday/sunday. I'll work hard to get another one up by then.

**

* * *

**

**A White Flower in a Sea of Green**

**Chapter XIV**

_Written by Shyion_

The cart trundled along the dirt road, several baskets of groceries laden on its wooden tray, it's driver paying more attention to the road and the donkey that pulled the cart, than the two passengers on its back.

"Who was that, Miku?" One of them asked, her long, snow-white hair puddling by her side from a single ponytail tied by a black ribbon.

She wore a black gown atop a grey petticoat, the former reaching down to her knees and the latter reaching down to her ankles. Black leather shoes protected her feet, which hung off the edge of the cart, waving carefreely as they progressed.

"Oh, some local boy from the village, Haku." Miku replied to her companion. Her own forest-green hair hung from two pigtails again tied by black ribbons, a matching teal-coloured gown reaching all the way to her ankles, hanging off the cart alongside her hair.

"No, not the boy, I've seen him many times in the village." Haku replied, looking at Miku sitting next to her. "I meant that blond guy, the one you were staring at so long before I called you."

"Oh, him…" Miku began, looking up at the sky. "I don't know. I've never seen him around before. Probably just a tourist." She waved her feet as she leaned back. "Sorry about taking up so much time."

"Oh, no problem." Her companion said, smiling gently. "Our Lady's very patient anyway, and it's still some time before dinner, we should be able to get back with all this before then."

"Mhm." She nodded in reply, before turning around to look at the groceries. "How long has it been since we came here, Haku?" She asked after a brief pause.

"Mm? Oh, hmm…Must have been several years by now. Three years, perhaps?"

"Three years? Wow, it's been that long since we left home then eh?" Miku turned around to look at the road moving underneath them.

"Yeah…" Haku said quietly.

'A little more than three years since we met as well then…' She thought to herself, as an odd silence began to grow, the backdrop of the creaking cart making no effect on the bubble.

"Oh, don't worry love." The cart driver said, piercing the bubble as he turned his head around briefly to look at them. "They don't know what they've missed anyway." He smiled at her, before turning to watch the road again.

Like Miku, his hair too was coloured forest green, a brown beret covering it slightly. A similarly coloured, heavy woollen coat accompanied by black trousers covered his body, the articles showing clear signs of wear and tear on the road.

"Yeah, Haku, don't worry about them." Miku said, placing a hand on hers. "We're in the city now, not back in the village."

"I guess you're right…" She replied after a moment, turning to look at Miku and smiling, even as her mind descended back to live in those days, three years ago.

* * *

'_I never really understood why.'_

'_In a village where everyone had beautiful green hair, I was born instead with a head of white.'_

'_I guess it's because of this, that I was more of an outcast there than anywhere else.'_

'_I guess it's because of that, that I thought my existence was truly meaningless.'_

* * *

"Phawww…" a young girl sighed. "That's the fifth time I've failed in getting a job…"

Leaning against a large oak tree within the depths of a forest, she slowly drew her hair in her hands, staring at it's blinding white tint against a background of dark, soft green.

"Why…" She complained softly. "Why is it that I'm born so different from others…A girl with white hair, born in a village where everyone else has beautiful green hair. Why is it like this?" She curled up against the tree, hugging her knees close to her body as she stared up into the branches of the oak tree.

It's sheer size was truly immense and awe-inspiring for first timers, it's branches reaching high into the forest's canopy, outstripping any other tree with ease.

"Who knows how long you've been here for…How many things you've seen…I've only lived 14 years, yet I feel as if I shouldn't have been born in the first place." She buried her head into her plain grey dress, tightening up even further as tears leaked slowly from her eyes, staining her dress.

"I know, you've heard all this before." She muttered through the cloth. "But living such a cursed existence as my own…It's…very lonely…" she began breaking down as tears leaked out, her grief enveloping her.

"I just want someone…anyone…to treat me like a friend…someone I can talk to…someone I can walk with…someone I can laugh with…someone that won't push me away just because of this damn hair!" she screamed out into the forest, hoping that something, or someone, could answer her wish, before again burying her face in her knees, her tears flowing out fully, unbidden for who knows how long.

Finally her tears stopped, her last few whimpers escaping as she just sat there, eyes closed without a goal anymore in her mind. All that she felt that she could do now, was sit, wait, and listen to the forest.

'As if that'll change anything.' She thought, still doing so regardless.

Over a long period of time, as she calmed her tumultuous heart and mind, she slowly began to listen and hear the voice of the forest.

The slow, gentle breeze of the wind blowing over the grass, whistling through the leaves and branches of the trees.

The gentle floating, and landing of leaves as they fall from the heights of the trees onto the soft grass beneath them.

The lively chirruping of birds up high in the branches, echoing throughout the woods as if all were part of a Grand Choir, their songs able to be heard far and wide.

The gurgle, splash and crash of water as it runs through a nearby stream, then off a waterfall onto rocks below, only to continue its journey through another stream.

The soft, almost inaudible cry for help.

The girl almost jumped from her position, so surprised by such an out-of-place sound that she wasn't even sure she heard it properly. As she stood upright, she strained her ears to their maximum, attempting to filter out all the sounds she was enjoying just moments ago, for that single cry to confirm her suspicions.

And there, through a thicket, there it was again.

Quickly, the girl rushed through, her mind alert as she wondered about what happened, her feet tapping on the ground as the rustle of both plants and wool betrayed her existence in an otherwise untouched forest.

It wasn't long before she broke through the thicket, only to encounter a cliff, and both the stream and waterfall that she had heard before.

"Where is it?" She panted quietly, her voice lost in the crash as water tumbled down to the depths below.

"Someone! Help!" The cry came again, this time clearly audible through the crash of water so far below.

"Where are you!" She cried over the water, trying to position the voice. "Keep talking, I can find you faster that way!"

"Over here!" The voice shouted again to the girl's right, near the point where the stream tumbled down.

She quickly rushed over, looking over the edge to see the source of the cries.

It was a girl from her village, although one that she had only seen from far away, surrounded by clusters of friends. A girl that she truly had every right to envy.

'It's still not right for me to leave her here though.' She thought to herself as she looked at her surroundings.

The girl was holding on for dear life onto a large root protruding from the cliff's edge, her hair waving in the wind uncontrollably.

'I have to at least try to save her. Even if she'll come back just to bully me about my hair again.'

"Hold on, I'll try and find something to pull you up with!" The girl shouted down at her, before turning around.

'There isn't much here that I can use…' She thought to herself, looking at all the nearby trees. 'I can only use branches…but I need a good, strong one that I can break off easily…'

Spying a teak wood tree nearby, she quickly rushed over and attempted to break the longest branch that she could reach, having to put in all her effort to do so before it finally gave in, breaking off into her arms.

Quickly she carried it over, back to the cliff's edge before studying her surroundings.

'I probably can't hold onto this and her weight; we'd both be pulled down. I need to think this through carefully.'

Leaning the branch at an angle on the cliff's edge, she slowly pushed it over the edge up until a maximum, using her body as a counterweight.

"Can you reach it?" She asked, not daring to look over the ledge lest she lose her grip.

"Almost…got it…Yes!" The girl from below cried as the branch suddenly gained weight.

"Hold on!" She cried as she put all her weight onto the branch, managing to pull it down onto the ground, pinning it with her own body as she lay on top of it, her elbows managing to reach the edge of the cliff, her hands hanging off.

"If I move from here, the branch will fall!" She shouted. "You'll have to move over here and grab my hand, then I can pull you up!"

"Alright, hold on, I'm moving!" The girl shouted from below as the branch began to wobble precariously at first. Slowly, almost excruciatingly, as the girl climbed the branch, it's wobbles slowed and lessened to almost a complete stop.

"I'm at the edge of the cliff now; I can grab your hands from here!" The girl shouted again over the waterfall below.

"Alright, grab my hands one by one, and don't let go!" She shouted in reply, her hands open and ready.

One first, and then the other, she felt the girl's hands lock on as tight as they could, each replied with her own hands locking on.

Slowly she stood up on her knees first, the branch firmly locked between her legs as she pulled her hands back with all her strength, the girl trying to gain a foothold on the cliff's side and climbing upwards.

Slowly, even more than before, the girl came into view as she pulled her up, reaching up to the waist before the two catapulted backwards, the built up force released suddenly as they fell, the branch now falling unhindered down over the cliff's edge.

"We've made it…" The girl panted, lying next to her on the grass. "We've made it…" she repeated again, relief flowing through her voice. "Truly, how can I ever thank you?" She asked after a brief pause, getting up on all fours and looking at her.

"Um…no, it's alright…" The girl said, quickly standing up, self-conscious. "Sorry, I…I think I'd better be going now…"

"No! Please, you saved my life!" She exclaimed, grabbing hold of her hands. "There must be some way I can repay you for this."

"I, uh, no, really, you don't have to…" The girl stuttered, unused to such affection. "Sorry again, but I have to go now..." She tugged at her arm, freeing herself before quickly running back through the woods.

"At least tell me your name!" She cried before losing sight of her.

The girl paused halfway through a few moments passing before she turned her head around.

'_Back then, I thought it wouldn't matter; she'd have forgotten it by tomorrow anyway._'

"…Haku…" She stated hesitantly. "Haku Yowane…" Then, she turned around and left in a hurry once again, her white hair slowly engulfed by the dark green of the forest as she disappeared.

* * *

The night passed quickly.

By the time Haku had managed to find her way back into the village, twilight had already began to set in. She quickly crept into the village and into the small shack that she called home, in the midst of a village that seemed as foreign to her as the moon's surface. And as she laid down on the straw mattress, her mind slowly drifted off to sleep, certain that her choice today would come to haunt her, that the girl she saved today, would just come back another day to bully her over the very cliff that she had saved her from.

"I really need to try and find a job for myself again…" Haku muttered to herself, tightening the string to her purse and tying it to her belt afterwards. She sighed before taking another look at her surroundings.

The marketplace wasn't particularly crowded today, it was still a couple of months before the farmers pulled in their produce from the surrounding countryside over for sale, and it wasn't tourist season either.

Regardless, the tents and stores put up were still full of villagers, their produce ranging from raw materials to fruits and vegetables, fresh meats to metal tools, crockery, toys, cloths, clothes, toiletries, medicines from all around, the variety was astounding for such a village. And regardless of what day it was, the villagers still were out in force, going about their daily lives as usual.

"It's still as crowded as usual here." Haku whispered to herself, drawing the hood of her cloak tighter, making sure to hide her white hair in the midst of the populace with green hair. Not as if it helped much; in a village, you knew almost everybody, and almost everybody knew you by your face. Still, it helped her keep her confidence, and she continued to do so.

As quickly as possible, she bought the groceries for the day and any other essentials from the storekeepers, before heading back home again.

However, in her rush and attempt to hide her face she was not aware of the path before her, turning out of a small alleyway into a larger road, only to run straight into a group of local girls from the village.

"Oof!" she cried, falling backwards, her basket falling onto the road and its contents spilling out, her hood knocked back to reveal her embarrassingly bright white hair.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah, you ok?" Another asked.

Opening her eyes and looking forward, Haku saw that the questions were not addressed to her, but rather to the girl that she had knocked over accidentally, her crowd of friends clustering around her enough to block her view.

"Hey, isn't that Haku?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah, it is!" Another confirmed almost immediately. "She's the only one in our village with white hair!"

"I heard that people born with completely unique hair like her are cursed!" A third whispered, just loud enough for Haku to hear.

"Really?" The second exclaimed. "Maybe she was cursed with old age!"

"Yeah, she's as boring as my grandma!" a fourth replied. "Her hair's as white too!"

"No, it's even whiter still!" Another retorted.

"Why'd you knock her over eh?" The first girl asked, all attention of the crowd now turning to her.

"I'm sorry…" was all that Haku could say, already trying to collect her groceries in a frenzied haste.

Despite that though, the girls still continued with their insults, the wall slowly crowding around her as gradually her world got smaller and smaller, eventually only the words that they spoke filled her mind to the fullest. In the midst of it all, all she could say was sorry, but even she knew that sorry wasn't enough to satisfy them.

That was, however, until the girl that she had knocked down spoke up.

"Oh stop it, everyone!" She cried, pushing through to let herself come into view.

And most unexpectedly, she came face to face with the girl that she had saved yesterday.

"Are you alright?" She asked simply, walking forward and kneeling before her, looking directly at her eyes, genuine concern written over her face.

Haku stared straight back again for a few more moments, yet to her seemed like an eternity, her mind hypnotized by such a direct, straightforward look that no other villager had given her before.

"I, uh, ah…" She stuttered, quickly gathering the last few fallen fruits. "I'm sorry!" Quickly she stood up again, dashing off through the gap and into the crowd of people at full speed, not even bothering to draw up her hood any more as she raced back home.

* * *

"Why is it always like this?" Haku muttered into the cotton pillow, stained slightly as it was with her tears.

In the bright light of midday, her small shack was clearly illuminated. Several windows dotted the walls, all covered with simple sheets to serve as window blinds, a number of which she kept closed most of the time. The floor itself was covered in a simple weave of reeds that protected feet from the rough ground underneath, while the simple wooden walls of the shack were left uncovered. The thatch roof from above was dense enough to not allow any light through; any light coming through easily meant rain coming through too.

The shack itself consisted of two rooms and a toilet, the first when one walks through its small door being the kitchen and living room. A stove stood quietly in the far left corner from the door, surrounded by counters for preparation, and windows to let out the smoke. A small, round table stood in the middle of the room with three chairs surrounding it, all empty, while a fireplace stood opposite the door, occupied only by the cinders of burned wood.

Leading from here were two other doors, one leading to the bathroom, and another leading to the shack's small and simple bedroom, with enough space for its single inhabitant.

"It's always like this." She muttered again, sitting up and looking through the doorway, at the basket of groceries that she had left on the table. "They always pick on me because of my hair. They call me old. They call me boring. They call me who knows how many names just because I have a different hair colour than everyone else. And everybody distances themselves away from me because of that!"

As if in reply to her outrage, suddenly three knocks sounded out from the main doorway.

"Umm, hello?" A voice asked from the other side of the door quietly. "May I come in?"

'What?' Haku thought in her mind, her eyes wide at this unexpected visitor.

"Uh, ah, hold on…" She stuttered as she got up. "I'm coming…"

Slowly, she advanced forward towards the old wooden door, completely uncertain of what to expect from the other side. Finally, opening the door slowly to leave only a crack, she took a quick peek out through.

There, standing before her, was the girl she had saved yesterday. And the girl that she had bumped into today.

"Hello Haku…" She said after a brief pause. "May I come in?"

"Oh! Er um, o-of course!" Haku stuttered, completely taken by surprise as she opened the door wider to let the young girl through.

She took several steps into the small shack, taking a few brief glances around the room as Haku herself studied her unexpected guest.

Standing a few centimetres shorter than herself, the young girl still sported hair as long as Haku's herself; reaching all the way down to approximately her thighs. Unlike Haku's however, it shone with the brilliance of an emerald within the afternoon sun that breached the doorway, her matching dark green dress reaching all the way down to her ankles, where small leather shoes crunched quietly upon the reed carpet.

"Hey, um, sorry about today…" She said, turning around as Haku closed the door, placing both her hands behind her back.

"Oh, uh, no, it's alright…" Haku said flustered. "I, ah, was in a rush and wasn't watching where I was going. I'm the one who should be sorry." She did a full bow from the hip, hanging her head in embarrassment. "Please, really, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Haku." The girl said, walking forward and placing her hands on her shoulders. "You did save my life yesterday after all. If I couldn't forgive such a really small accident like that afterwards, then I don't know what I should do to myself!"

"Really?" Haku gasped, looking up into her face. "Oh, I'm glad…"

"You know, Haku," the girl began again as she looked at her white-haired companion. "I don't think you're a bad person. I can think of some of my friends who are worse than you." She reached out a hand to touch her pure white hair. "And I don't think you're cursed either! Your hair really suits you, you know."

Haku flinched very slightly as the girl reached out to touch her hair, but quickly grew relaxed afterwards.

"But…your own hair is really beautiful too, you know…" she muttered, staring.

"Oh, this?" The girl held on to her own hair. "In a village where such a colour is the norm, nothing is beautiful about such hair."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I should go and prepare something for you…" Haku said, more than a bit embarrassed about the compliment.

"No, it's alright, I won't be too long." The girl said, grabbing a hold of her hand as she moved around her. "I just wanted to come by and say hi."

"Oh, erm, uh, alright…" She said, turning around to face her. "You…uh, sure, I can't get you anything?"

"No, it's alright!" The girl chuckled. "Well, I'd better be going myself though."

"Oh, uh, of course…" Haku stuttered, a little bit disappointed that she was leaving already. "I'll go get the door…"

"Thank you for keeping me company." The girl said, smiling at her as she opened the door. "I really appreciate it."

"Oh, no, ah, um, thank you…for your time…" Haku said, now even more embarrassed. "Nobody's ever paid me a visit before…"

"Really?" The girl said, shocked. "Well, maybe I might be able to come over for a longer visit some other time then. Are you free tomorrow?"

"Ah! Oh, er, um, yes, I should, ah, be free tomorrow…"

"Ok then, I'll see you then, Haku!" The girl said gleefully as she made her way out.

"Oh, um, sorry, but…" Haku began just as the girl stepped outside. "Sorry, but what's your name?"

"Oh, darn!" The girl slapped her forehead gently. "Sorry, I've forgotten my manners completely!" She turned around to face her, hands behind her back again.

"My name, is Miku Hatsune!" She smiled at Haku as she said her name. "I'll be coming for a visit again tomorrow, so please take care of me!" She bowed once, before leaving a dumbstruck Haku watching her slowly retreating figure.

* * *

'_At that time, I was both surprised and happy that someone could finally accept my hair colour._'

'_And as time passed, our friendship slowly grew stronger and stronger as she began to pay me frequent visits every day. I enjoyed every moment of it._'

'_Yet at the same time, I always saw her in the midst of her friends. And every time I saw her, I just couldn't help but compare her to them. And then her, to me._'

'_She was kind, graceful, confident, with a perfect voice, and with perhaps the most beautiful hair out of everyone in the village._'

'_She was everything, that I was not. Eventually, I grew jealous of her. And ultimately, I began questioning her…_'

'_Why did she choose to befriend me, when she had so many others far better, far more successful, and far more popular than me._'

'_Truly back then, I didn't know anything._'

* * *

"Hey, Haku." Miku said through the calm silence.

The two friends were walking slowly through the woods, the soft crunch of fallen leaves whispering around them as the trees watched on silently, the bright light of the midday sun filtering through the leaves.

Today, Haku wore a grey gown with black trimming, the lower front cut away to show a white, pleated petticoat beneath. Her silver white hair was tied into a single ponytail via a grey bow tie at the base of her neck.

In turn, Miku wore a white blouse and black skirt, a matching white apron covering its front, while a dark brown bodice enveloped her waist. A black shawl draped itself around her shoulders, secured by a pink pin just above her chest, while her vibrant teal hair was again tied into two pigtails by two black ribbons.

"Hm?" Haku asked, her focus on the ground before her.

"Sorry, I was wondering…" She began. "Have you ever, thought of leaving the village?"

A small pause ensued between the two of them as their feet slowly ground to a halt.

"Yes…actually." Was her reply. "I've been thinking about leaving the village entirely for some time now. I've found it difficult to get a job here…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been thinking about it as well for a long time." As the two began to walk again almost aimlessly through the forest, she began to elaborate why.

"The village is just really small, you know." She began. "I always see the same faces day in, day out. Really, in such a small place nothing new can happen, and I really grow bored of it all. None of the others seem to feel that way though; they're just satisfied with what we have now. But really, I just feel that, I do not belong here myself."

"And so you think that leaving the village will help you find what you feel you are missing?"

"Yeah, basically." She said, smiling.

"What do you know." She whispered bitterly, to the surprise of both as they stopped in the middle of their trek.

"Well, um…" Miku paused for a while trying to think, but her chain of thought wasn't allowed to build on itself.

"Why would _you_ want to leave this village?" Haku began, as unexplained rage began to uncork itself. "You're popular. You have so many friends. You are beautiful, elegant, perfect in almost every way that I myself am not. All the other villagers want to be with you, yet I myself am left alone in my little shack. Why is it that even though you have just so many things, that you still want to leave the village?" She shouted at the end, pausing for a while before continuing.

"Why is it that you still want to leave the village, where everything is really and truly perfect for you? Damnit, from the beginning, why did you choose to befriend me anyway? Don't tell me that stupid stuff about you being everyone else's friend in the village, because everyone in the village is friends with everyone else except me! Why did you choose to make yourself so unique? Why did you choose to try and befriend an outcast like me, who would not be able to do anything but make you yourself an outcast from the village as well?" She collapsed onto her knees as she finished, her hands moving upwards to wipe away tears that were quickly appearing on her face.

"Why?" she continued slowly through her flood of tears as Miku watched on. "Why me? You're just so different from me. Do you just do this because you pity me, your inferior?" She screamed again finally at the dumbstruck girl before her as she continued crying.

A long pause ensued between the two of them, Haku herself knowing that she had almost certainly crossed the line, and that her only friend now would be her enemy. There, the crunch of leaves. She was leaving, and she knew that she wouldn't come back.

But suddenly she felt herself being pulled forward into a warm embrace. And even as she cringed and tried feebly to pull away, her ears couldn't lie to her on what the next few words she heard were.

"No, Haku." They began. "I'm sorry that I made you feel that way, but I didn't want to become your friend just because everyone else doesn't want to. I didn't become your friend because I pity you. You are not my friend now because of that."

"When you saved me from falling so many weeks ago, I knew that not many people would have done what you did for nothing. I am very grateful for what you have done for me, Haku. And really, I feel that it is just wrong of me not to treat you as my friend, Haku. And despite what everyone else says, Haku…" Slowly she turned her prone body towards her, looking her full in the face with complete sincerity, she finished:

"Truly, you are the most wonderful person that I've met here, in the village."

And despite herself, she cried in her arms. Despite her fortune, she continued crying into her friend's lap, knowing now full well how much of a fool she had been, believing what lies her insecure mind kept telling her.

And quietly watching the pair from above, stood the ancient branches of the oak tree that Haku had come to before, wishing so earnestly for a friend.

* * *

'_Even if the entire world laughed at me, and despised me, as long as I had a person who needed me…._'

'_That was all I need to be happy._'

'_Those were the words that I spoke in my mind that day. I never thought that such a person could exist before. But now, truly, I am happy, with Miku by my side._'

* * *

"Alright, ladies, the mansion's coming up just over the hill now." The driver said to the two behind.

"Ah, that's good, I was wondering how much longer!" Miku said in reply, looking over her shoulder at the country mansion that slowly appeared as the cart moved forwards.

'Yes, things are just so much better here, after we had left the village.' Haku thought as she too turned around to look. 'Although the days had been hard, we were fortunate enough to find a job here.'

* * *

YESH! FINALLY, THIS DAMN THING IS DONE! :DD

Ok, I'll shut up now and go back and do the next chapter...[note: that's code for I got nothing else to stuff here so I'm just gonna go now XDD]

p.s. CHECK MY DA ACCOUNT FOR FANART! :DD (or should I post the link to the latest piece on the profile for lazy ppl like meh? *w*)

p.s.s. How'd you like the new summary? Yes, I ripped it directly from the song, but it's not as if I've been ripping lyrics off it already XDD (If nobody knows where it's from, go look on youtube for 'Servant of Evil Remaster'. Trust me, it'll probably be the most EPIC cover of the song you'll have heard! The accompanying PV's also equally EPIC! :D)

08/07/2010


	15. Unexpected Guests

**Unexpected Guests**

**Chapter XV**

_Written by Shyion_

The gentle loll of the waves rocked the boat as it glided smoothly over the oceans, pure white clouds drifting by above.

"Ah, what a beautiful sight this is." A young man said as he stood at the bow of the ship, gazing out over the far horizon. His hair, a vivid azure blue, matched nicely with his dark blue robe that both protected and covered all of his clothes from the salt of the sea, he had an aura of superiority, and assuredness. Breathing in deeply, he let out a contented sigh, as a man walked up behind him.

"My Liege, my man in the Crow's Nest has spotted land over the horizon." The man said.

"Yes, very good, Captain." The young man replied, turning around. "I'm to believe, that it is the Country of Green, correct?"

"Yes, my Liege." The captain replied curtly.

"Very well." He said. "Signal to my entourage that we will be pulling into shore."

"As my Liege commands." The captain made a quick bow, before turning around, shouting orders to his men.

"Indeed, one may describe you as being the life of the party, my King." Another aging man said. "But certainly, you must prioritise your schedule far more astutely."

"Oh, come on, Minister." The young man spun around, holding his hands out with a large, nonchalant grin on his face. "Life is meant to be enjoyed to its fullest, isn't it not?"

"That is one way of which only you seem to be able to employ to the maximum." The man said. "Picking what you want, and what you don't want to do can only last for so long, my King. Sooner or later, something will happen, and that may change your entire life forever."

"It was an important meeting, alright?" The young man said exasperated. "There was no way that I would have been able to make it to the Kingdom of Yellow for that child's birthday party, and then back again on time."

"And that is what I meant by prioritising your schedule." The man commented dryly.

"Well, at least I did make a good choice coming here today, didn't I?" he said, trying to lighten up his companion's mood.

"For once, at least." The man said curtly. "For once, at least I see you have some common sense to take yourself out here. But then again, I always harbour the suspicion that the only reason for this excursion, in your eyes, is to meet fresh prey for your manhood!"

"Oh seriously now, that definitely can't be the only reason I pulled myself out of the throne to come to such a tiny country."

"Tiny countries can sometimes harbour the most beautiful of jewels. If only just because nobody else has bothered to look there."

"Come, come now, at least by the end of this, the both of us will be happy that this visit was paid."

"I hope so, Kaito." The man said, looking behind at the small fleet of ships trailing behind. "I can only hope so."

* * *

The smell of roasting veal wafted through the air.

The two servants worked hard to prepare food for the evening's dinner, the clattering of pans and the splash of ingredients and soup clouded the air as did the white steam arising from their efforts. Rays of light cut through the smoke from slitted windows situated within the stone walls of the kitchen like knives.

"Our Lady said she'd be having guests arriving for tonight, didn't she?" Haku asked.

"Yes, she said she'd be having a friend coming over today, and that they'd be taking up residence here for a few days." Miku said, turning away from her cooking to look at her friend.

"Well, at least we have extra food in the larder to take care of any extra demand."

"Yeah, her last guest almost finished the entire pantry in one sitting!" The teal-haired girl laughed gently. "But we'll be going back to the Capital in a few days time though; the Council is hosting a celebration, and our Lady has been invited."

"You sure?" Haku said, eying her friend. "I heard that you've offered to be part of the festivities to the Lady!"

"Oh, you've caught me!" The two laughed, each enjoying the other's company.

"Are you two cooking, or telling each other rumours you heard from your visit to the town two days ago?" A mild voice echoed through the kitchen as the large oaken doors opposite to the spit fire creaked open.

The soft tap of her felt shoes rang out as a lady walked in, her status obvious to all as the Lady of the House, just by her very presence, her clothes serving only to accentuate that fact.

Her dress comprised of an ankle-length, orange coloured tea-gown, dozens upon dozens of layers of lace sewn onto the neck and chest area, as well as the cuffs and fringes of her dress, while a high-neck collar of green satin served as a transition point towards her vibrant green hair. Gently held between her fingers was a paper fan, its oriental pattern clearly something not many could afford.

"Would you believe us, if we said both, Lady Gumi?" Miku said respectfully as the two curtseyed before their mistress.

"Knowing your record of the last year that you've been working for me, I guess it's not out of the question." Gumi said, fanning herself gently as she smiled at the two. "Well, at least it's good to see that both of you have settled in nicely since the first day you came."

"It was…very surprising to find someone from our village, my Lady." Haku said as she stood up, her hands folded neatly in front of her.

"Well, you didn't find only me, my dear." Gumi said gently, looking at her. "I do try to accommodate everyone from my home village as best as I can, and give them jobs as I did you whenever possible." She flicked a strand of her hair out of the way, as if to emphasise her point. "It was, quite frankly, an unexpected meeting; I'd have thought that the economic situation would be good enough that there'd be no reason to leave. But anyway, I'm just happy to help as much as I can, and to see you two settle in so well."

"Also, Miku, how's your practice coming along?" Gumi then turned around to look at the teal-haired girl. "I hope you aren't stressing yourself too much, between working here and practicing."

"I'm quite alright, my Lady." Miku confirmed. "Thank you very much for your concern, but I am fine as I am."

"Well, as long as you are alright with it, then that's fine." The Lady commented. "The festivities will be held in about a week and a half from now, so you should have time to prepare." She began to turn around towards the doorway, satisfied with what she has seen. "If you feel you need to focus more on practicing, feel free to tell me. I can always assign someone else to fill in your place temporarily."

"Thank you very much, my Lady." Miku said as farewell, curtseying alongside Haku.

"I am very grateful that she was able to take us in." Haku said, standing up as the oak doors closed.

"Yes, me too." Miku said. "We are indeed very fortunate to be part of her household." And with that, the two returned to their work contentedly.

* * *

"Here you go." Miku said, as she tossed a slice of fish into the pond.

A quiet splash could be heard within the mansion's gardens, as both Miku and Haku watched the surface for any movement, the pink strip of fish quickly sinking down into the murky depths.

"Hey, have you actually seen the thing that we feed every day like this?" Haku asked, a tint of fear in her voice.

"Hm?" Miku turned her head to her friend. "Yeah, I have. Our Lady seems to treasure it very much."

"It certainly freaks me out, to say the least…" She shivered slightly as she watched the surface for movement, ready to jump back at a moment's notice.

"I find it kind of cute though." Miku chuckled slightly, before a soft splash echoed, Haku jumping in surprise, before stepping back as a creature emerged from the pond's side.

It was a large, pink octopus, it's body about as large as a human's head, with the very vague features of a human face looking around inquisitively at its surroundings, the slice of fish half engulfed in its small mouth.

"Hey, little guy!" Miku said delightedly, kneeling down in front of it, as Haku stood a distance away, behind her friend as she watched. "How are you doing?" The teal-haired girl reached out a hand towards the creature, ignorant of her fearful friend behind her.

The creature quickly swallowed the rest of the fish with one tentacle, whilst reaching out with another to place atop the outstretched hand, the impression of a smile forming on its face as it did so.

"See, Haku, it isn't so bad, is it now?" Miku turned her head around, smiling at her friend.

"It looks too much like a person's head turned into an octopus for me to handle, frankly." She commented quickly, shaking her head.

And as she finished with her words, the two heard the tell-tale _clack-clack-clack_ of the door-knocker from the front of the mansion.

"It must be the Lady's guests!" Haku breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for a reason to escape. "We'd better go open the doors."

"Yes, we'd better." Miku confirmed as she stood up, looking at the Mansion. The two walked briskly into the mansion through the garden's porch, Miku turning around briefly to wave goodbye to the creature, who was slowly sliding back into the water, before she continued.

* * *

It wasn't very long before the two reached the entrance hall of the mansion, the impressive redwood doors standing tall between two large stained-glass windows, illuminating the hall with a soft glow.

As the two made their way to either side of the doors, they said in unison;

"On the count of three."

"One…" The two reached their sides of the doors.

"Two…" They placed their hands on the large, brass handles of the door.

"Three!" And through both experience and practice, the two heaved the doors open, the redwood doors opening as if mirror reflections of each other.

After a few moments, the stepped quickly around the door, before greeting their new guests happily, curtseying in unison.

"Welcome, dear guests!"

"That…wasn't a greeting that I was expecting really." Their guests said, after a brief pause. "In any case, thank you very much."

"Ah, Luka, I'm glad to see that you've arrived safely." Gumi said as she stepped behind her two servants. "How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you very much." The pink-haired lady said with a large grin on her face. "I hope that the politics you've yearned for so much are to your liking."

"Indeed, they are, I must say." She said, laughing. "Come, make yourselves at home. I assume that the trip here, for you and your apprentice, must have been very tiring."

"Yes, I must agree with you." Luka said, smiling as she ushered in a boy from beside her. "Come, Len, I'm sure you're very tired after the journey."

"Indeed, I am, Mistress." The blond boy said obediently, his and Luka's packs slung over his back.

"Well, my two servants will be more than happy to show you to your rooms." Gumi said, gesturing to the two. "Dinner will be served at seven this evening, they will come to fetch you then."

"Thank you very much, Gumi." Luka said, Len bowing beside her as the Lady turned to leave.

"My name is Haku, dear guest, and I shall be showing you to your room." The white-haired girl said, standing up first as she addressed Luka.

"Alright then, Len, I'll take my pack now." Luka said, turning her head to the boy and holding her open hand.

"Yes, Mistress." The boy said, giving the requested item. "I will see you later on at dinner then."

"Of course, see you later." She waved goodbye, before following Haku into the depths of the building.

"I will be showing you to your room, dear…guest." Miku said as she stood up, her green locks revealing her face to the boy in front of her for the first time during the meeting. And as the two caught sight of each other's faces, their memories of their first meeting came flooding back, drowning out everything around them with an awkward silence.

"Miku, isn't it?" The boy said hesitantly, in an attempt to break the silence.

"Yes, yes, sir, it is." Miku replied, before turning around quickly. "I'll be showing you to your room."

"Ah…thank you, very much." Len said awkwardly, before following the teal-haired girl as another servant quickly stepped out to close the doors behind them with a gentle, yet eerie, thud.

* * *

First things first...

**REVIEWS PLEASE!**

**I need to get myself up to speed, so reviews/flames/criticisms (of all types, as long as they are constructive) are appreciated!**

Ok, time for the author's notes...

* * *

I'M ALIVEEEEEEEE!

...Again, I'm terribly sorry T_T, it's been like, two months of complete inactivity on my part, and I really have no excuse other than to say 'writers block', 'demoralization' and 'upheavals' which really I shouldn't let it affect my readers and their enjoyment in reading fanfics. Once again, I hope everyone'll forgive me...

Yeah, this chapter's short. There's been a lot going around recently (which is why I said upheavals and demoralization, kinda), so I think my cogs got rusted...again. SO, back to the beginning with short chapters so I can get running up to speed again. Maybe I'll try and keep them this way...or I'll start getting carried away again and start writing ridiculously long chapters before i crash and burn like I did before...

Needless to say, I'm back, and I'll be working on trying to keep this walking hulk moving at a steady-ish pace. (That means I'll try not to go inactive for ridiculous amounts of time, again).

Ok, now the formalities are done, time for some rambling XD. In like, the last few days before I started writing this again, I was looking around , and it seems like there's an absence in aku no- fanfic updates...maybe everybody along this line of work got hit by a writers block of somekind =_=...

OR, as I just found out just before I posted this, Mothy, the original song creator, managed to write a NOVEL about his songs...I'd sure like to read it, but it's prolly released only in Japan or something, & I'm not entirely sure I want to read it (just in case I start feeling all mopey about how this fanfic is just complete crack compared to it)...Should I actually be telling you guys this? Please don't leave me and this widdle fella here alone...please?

03/10/2010

(ack, I should have gotten off my arse and got this done for the first of the month XDD)


	16. Dancing Dilemas

**Dancing Dilemas**

**Chapter XVI**

_Written by Shyion_

'Hmmm…' She thought to herself, her comb running through her lush green hair. 'It still isn't right…'

Miku's small, sparsely furnished room sat at the corner of the Manor, overlooking a rose field in the garden. The room contained nothing more than a low bed on wooden stilts, as well as a drawing table with a medium-sized oval mirror encased in simple wood, most of the floor remaining empty. Regardless however, it still offered her all that she needed to keep her content.

She was dressed in a plain servant's dress, the black hem reaching all the way up until her ankles, and the pleated skirt drawn around her waist, a white apron hanging off it.

"I just can't seem to get it right…" She sighed as she finished brushing, letting her hair fall down as she placed the brush back onto the table. "No matter what moves I try, it just doesn't feel right…" She stood up, walking to the empty centre of the room as she dusted her clothes a bit, before holding her arms by her side, slightly pushed back behind her body.

'Let's try that one…maybe it'll work…' She thought to herself.

Closing her eyes, she slowly imagined the crowds before her, placing herself upon the stage at the Capital. Letting her imagination take hold, she slowly looked around the crowd as her mind slowly immersed itself completely.

Feeling the tension in front of a crowd. Feeling the wind blow against her face. Feeling the slow music of the guitarist washing over her. Feeling for the tiny spark of energy to draw off from.

There!

She brought her right foot backwards, before letting it lash out into the air, and as quickly as it came, she drew it back, using it as a pivot to spin backwards around twice, her arms held up in the air as she did so. Stopping on the last spin, she leaned forward towards her imaginary crowd, letting her hands reach forward, then drawing backwards each in turn, as if beckoning them towards her.

Doing so several times, she stopped as she heard her guitar slow down. Standing upright, she grasped the top of her skirt with both hands, before turning slightly so that her right was facing the crowds. Lifting slightly so only her shoes and ankles were clearly visible, she let her focus turn to her feet, as the guitar began playing.

Slowly at first, she let her feet tap the floor, her heels resounding through the hall. Her left foot moved up and down, providing a constant background 'tap, tap, tap' as her right foot began to step in and out from beneath the confines of her skirt. Two taps out, one tap in. Two taps out, one tap in.

Never moving from the spot, she let her feet move on their own. Slowly, but surely, in time to the guitar, she let her feet move faster and faster, their movements and tapping that accompanied them growing ever more frenzied as finally her feet erupted in a flurry of steps, jumping to and fro across the stage. After a few moments she took a large leap forward, and, using the foot as a pivot, twirled several times with her arms held straight in the air before stopping suddenly.

Now her left faced the crowd, her face in line with her body as she watched them, letting her presence sink in once more as her arms slowly floated to her sides, her hands twirling slowly with mirror-like precision as she did so.

Pausing for a moment as her hands reached her side, she kicked her right foot upwards once again, this time even higher than before, quickly bringing it down to step behind her. Her left foot followed as well, her right hand leaning outwards towards the crowd. Then her right shuffled backwards, her left hand now lashing out. Then –

"Oof!" She grunted as she fell over onto her bed, her concentration broken.

"Ach, again!" She mumbled as she stared into the ceiling, exasperated. "I felt tons of mistakes in that one…I missed out quite a number of steps too…"

She sat up on her bed, looking once around the room, and then finally out through the window.

"Hmm, I don't have much time to do this…" She thought to herself. "And I can't seem to be able to remember any that I can do properly, let alone one that's suitable for the occasion…"

She stood up, and walked towards the window, taking in the scenery.

It was a bright day today; the sun shone around the rose field like a powerful presence, showering all around in its bright glory.

'Maybe I should stop for now…' She thought to herself as she watched the roses sway in the wind, the trees and their leaves in the distance following suit. 'Yeah, maybe I will go out for a walk.'

* * *

Her feet tapped softly along the stone porch to the rose gardens, her head turning slowly to look around the gardens: The pond to her left; the rose gardens to her front; and a forest in the far distance to her right.

"It's a good day today." She said, breathing in the fresh air, her hands folded in front of her apron as she stepped forward onto the cobblestone pathway.

The roses in the garden were in full bloom today, a myriad of colours greeting her eyes as she stepped forward. Red, Green, Yellow, White, Pink. All these and more knelt before her, as if acknowledging her prominence above them.

The rose garden was divided up into circles placed randomly in a small area, each circle divided again into quarters, the dividing line filled with green grass and bordered with small white stones, the roses filling the quartered areas completely. All the roses in each circle were of one colour, lending an air of order to the entire garden.

Yet there in the yellow rose bed, something out of place laid on the green grass; his brown waistcoat contrasting with his white, long-sleeved shirt and black pants, his loose red Jabbot collar hanging off his neck as his head of blond hair waved towards her in the wind. There, the boy laid on the grass, his eyes closed.

'It's one of Lady Gumi's guests…' Miku thought to herself…'The same boy I met in the village fout days ago…Len, wasn't it?'

Her memory was flooded temporarily by their awkward meeting when he arrived at the Manor, a wiry smile forming on her lips as she remembered.

"Ack!" Len sputtered, as Miku was brought out of her thoughts. "Sorry, I, uh, shouldn't have done that." Evidently he had noticed her presence while she was distracted; he was already standing up, dusting himself as best as he could, and getting ready to leave.

"No, no, it's alright…" She began, stepping forward towards him. "It's alright, you don't have to." She stopped in front of him as he just finished standing up, the two looking at each other.

"Um…" She began again. "I mean, you don't have to leave just because I came out…I'm only just a servant of My Lady…"

"Well, I don't really want to cause too much trouble." He replied, smiling tiredly. "It was just such a nice day today, and I couldn't help falling asleep down here."

"It happens, I know." She laughed slightly, relaxing now. "How are you enjoying your stay here at the Manor?" She asked him.

"It's a very comfortable place to stay." He began. "The location is very good; it's far away enough from most of the major cities and villagers, so it's nice and peaceful here…"

"Yeah, it's not too close to any places with too many people, but also not too far for shopping as well." She agreed. "But then, as an apprentice Trader, I guess you get to see a lot of places like this huh?"

"Well, um…" He began, stuttering. "My apprenticeship just started recently, and I've only stayed in large towns, and never more than a day in small villages. Places like this, I've only passed when moving from one place to another, I guess…"

"I guess so, huh?" She sat down on the grass, hugging her thighs as she faced the Manor. "I've worked as a servant for my Lady for three years, and this place is still the most beautiful I've seen, both in this country and outside of it."

"So you've been travelling before then?" He asked her as he sat back down beside her.

"Yeah, I had to accompany my Lady for the Coronation Ceremony of the Princess of Yellow." She said, nonchalantly.

A chill seemed to settle on the boy, but the girl didn't notice as she continued.

"It was about a year ago, maybe a bit more. Her father had died after so long, and she had to take up the Crown." She sighed. "It must be difficult; trying to rule a Kingdom at such a young age."

"Um…yeah, I guess so…" He said, hesitantly, unsure of what to say next.

"You just came from there, haven't you?" She asked him. "The Lady and the Mistress was talking about it earlier. How's it like there now?"

"Well, umm…" He began. "Umm, it's much different from here, to say the least. The people here are very nice, well, they're nice over there too but…Well, I guess things here seem to be much more relaxed than they are over there…

"The taxes there, right?" Miku queried.

"Yeah, yeah I guess so…" Len said, less than sure of his words.

"She's only 14 now," She said, sighing. "I'm surprised that they let her rule so unquestioningly. They should at least take the time to teach her properly, and to tell her where the line to push her people is."

Len kept quiet as she spoke, his mind clearly engulfed in a debate within him.

"But in the end, I really can't help but pity her, actually." Miku began again, after a while of silence. Len's head turned towards her, slightly surprised at this. "It must be very, very lonely being as she is. Having to rule a Kingdom for a year so far, with no one there to guide her...She needs someone to keep her company, and at least help to impart some knowledge of how to run the Kingdom to her…"

"Yeah…" He began after a while, his mind finished digesting what she had said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It must have been quite a lonely experience for her…"

They sat together in silence, the wind blowing through the roses surrounding them gently, before Len spoke.

"Sorry, um, Miku?"

"Yes, sir?" She replied, tentatively.

"Please, don't call me that." He laughed, albeit uncertainly. "I'm no higher than you are on the social ladder."

"Regardless, your master is a guest at this Manor, and so are you." She replied simply, standing up. "And I am to make myself fully available for any guest of my Lady."

He sighed, before getting up. "Alright then. My first request: Don't call me sir; call me by my name!"

"Much better." She laughed gently, Len smiling at her, more relaxed now. "Now, what is it that you wish, Len?"

"Well, I need to think for a bit." He began. "Do you know if there is a Piano anywhere in the Manor?"

"Of course." She stated, before turning around. "If you would follow me?" He nodded once, before following her into the Manor, the roses blowing nonchalantly within the wind.

* * *

It was an elaborate, medium-sized hall that they sat in. Two large bronze chandeliers hung above them via cast iron chains, their candlelight illuminating the lacquered oak tables and satin chairs, numerous enough to cater for ten people. Tapestries adorned parts of the brick walls as large pillars stood on each corner of the room, a large roaring fireplace lending warmth to the room's residents. Gumi sat at the head of the table, Luka sitting to her right as the two chatted, waiting for their dinner to be served.

A group of two servants stood by the main oak doors, one on each side holding the carved teak wood doors open as both Miku and Haku stepped through carrying large, covered platters down towards the table.

"Today's dinner is steamed Tuna soaked in a soy sauce broth with sliced onions." They both said in unison as they laid their trays down in front of the two. "Please enjoy." They said finally, removing the lid and stepping away.

"Ooh, my favourite!" Luka commented, clapping her hands gently as she eyed the fish hungrily.

"I knew you'd say that!" Gumi commented, laughing gently. "I asked my servants to prepare it specifically for today."

"Why, thank you very much, Gumi!" She said happily to her friend.

"Now, please, eat up!" she replied, urging her forward.

"With pleasure!" Immediately the pink-haired woman attacked her plate, managing to cut off several large chunks in a few moments, swallowing them just as quickly. "Ah, perfect!" She said, smiling as she swallowed, contented.

"Speaking of which, where is Len, Luka?" Gumi asked. "I see he did not want to join us for dinner today…"

"Well, he said that he wasn't very hungry, and that he wanted some time to think." Luka replied, placing her utensils down on the table while she talked, preventing her from scoffing more fish down. "I had a quick chat to him earlier, in the Manor's music room."

"Hm, I'm surprised he found his way so easily." Gumi commented, interested.

"He said that one of your servants showed him the way there a while ago." Luka replied, before continuing. "He said he wanted to be alone for a little while. Well, he did ask me to send him something light for dinner…"

"And you forgot, didn't you?" Gumi queried, chidingly.

"Well…we were having tuna for dinner…" Luka said, watching the fish. "It made me completely forget…" Gumi laughed gently at this, before speaking again.

"Well, I'll send up something for him after we're done here then." She said. "For now, let's enjoy."

And as the two picked up their utensils, soft music began to float through the corridors of the Manor.

It began tentatively; a few short, slow notes of a piano wafting through the Manor gently, repeating itself twice before being replaced by a series of chords. Very quickly this series of chords ended, a pause taking place before the music restarted itself.

Slowly, softly the music began again, delicate chords fluttering by as the low pitch slowly floated around a area, the tempo remaining mostly constant until a dip. Then, the music's pitch began to rise slowly, increasing with intensity until reaching a crescendo, before drifting slowly down again, until hitting a very low-pitched group of notes that repeated itself twice, the second with minor changes to the first, ending the first verse of the music.

Regardless of everything, the tempo still remained constant; a slow, but sure force throughout the piece.

"Who's playing that?" Gumi asked the dumbfounded servants standing across the room, the music still ongoing behind them; slowly, softly, steadily.

"It's probably Len." Luka said nonchalantly as she ate her fish. "Enjoy it while it lasts; his music makes good accompaniment to your dinner."

"I'll admit; he's good, but…" Gumi began to argue, before she began to listen to the music again. "…Well, I guess for tonight…"

"I knew you'd see it that way." Luka smiled, before continuing.

The two ate in silence for a while, listening to the music washing over them gently, the four servants in the room standing on parade while they too enjoyed the music.

"So that's what you were doing with him then, eh?" Haku whispered to her friend.

"What?" Miku asked back. "Not like it was anything important now, was it?"

"Well, when I see you alone with another boy…" She looked away, giggling slightly.

"Oh, come off it." The girl elbowed her friend gently, before listening to the music for a while longer. Then, from thin air, an idea struck her. "Haku, can you take care of the cleaning up for tonight?"

"Huh?" She questioned. "Oh, sure, but why?"

"I just got an idea, but I don't think I'll be able to take care of washing up for tonight if it works."

"Oh, ok…" Haku nodded gently. "I should be able to take care of it…Heeyy…It's got something to do with him, doesn't it?"

"Oh shut up, I'm just borrowing him for a little while." Miku said, exasperated, before stepping forward.

"What is it, Miku?" Gumi asked her servant as she saw her step towards the pair.

Quickly, Miku leaned forward and whispered something into her Lady's ear.

"Hm, well, that all depends if his Mistress is willing to let you 'borrow him'." Gumi commented, before turning to Luka.

"What is it? About Len?" Luka asked, her plate almost empty already.

"Well, Miku here would like to 'borrow' your apprentice for a short period of time, if you wouldn't mind."

"I certainly don't mind." She said after a pause, thinking of a possible reason for such a strange request. "He's been a bit depressed for some reason lately; I think a break from his training for a bit could do him good."

"Thank you very much, Lady Luka." Miku said gratefully, curtseying once. "I'll go talk to him now, and bring something for him to eat as well."

"Thank you as well then, Miku." Luka said, smiling.

Gumi looked at her servant, nodding once before the teal-haired girl left the room, her tapping feet echoing through the corridors as she ran excitedly.

* * *

"Ah, that's done." Len said to himself, his fingers finished playing on the keyboard as he looked around the room.

It was at the corner of the mansion, and as such two of the four walls were completely covered in glass windows; in daytime light from the sun would have completely flooded the room. But now in the dark of the night, only a single, half-lit but grand chandelier lit the room.

He was sitting at a grand piano, situated on a pedestal in the corner of the room with two solid walls bordering him. Below was another pedestal, filled with seats and empty music sheet holders for any musicians that wish to play. And below that again, was the marble-tiled floor of the room.

Polished until a magnificent sheen, its beautifully veined surface matched with an equally stunning array of colours. Each tile cut to match the last, the effect creates a large, almost endless surface that would be perfect for any formal dance or occasion to be held.

Len sighed once, the elaborate sights reminding him of the castle back in the Kingdom of Yellow.

'Things are so different, between here and there…' he thought to himself as he stood up, walking down the pedestals to stand in front of one of the glass walls, watching the empty scenery outside. 'I don't know…Rin, my Princess…My sister…How did it become this way? A Kingdom, and its people so filled in fear of her monarch, so engulfed in hatred that they'd stage such a rebellion…how did it become like this?'

A long pause greeted him as his mind was left to wander, replaying the events of the day.

'Miku, huh...' He thought to himself. 'She's so kind and gentle...It's surprising really, how she can sense her plight so easily...I've known it for so long, and yet...'

'_It must be very, very lonely being as she is._'

'Yeah, it's true…' he leaned his right arm on one of the metal beams that rimmed the glass window, watching his reflection. 'I left her for so many years…It's my responsibility, to set her, and her methods of ruling, right.' Nodding to himself as if in encouragement, he smiled, before a loud creak caused him to turn around.

There, in the middle of the oak doorway, stood Miku, left hand pointing at him and her right hand holding a plate of food.

"You're going to help me with the festival in two weeks time."

* * *

Well, not exactly what you expected of her now, is it, Len? =w=...Miku's gotten a bit too confident of herself. I don't know if that's how you see her, but I see her as a very confident, but friendly and helpful person...hopefully I portrayed her that way in a believable light. (Comments on this are greatly appreciated).

No mushy stuff yet...I THINK, although some of you might have other ideas. I might not be adding any mushy stuff between the two until far later.

The song I tried getting Len to play was one of my old favourites from an anime. It was a nice piano/violin song, but after trying to translate it here I just gave up. It was taking too long, and it wasn't central to the chapter anyway, unlike last time I tried translating a song...Miku's dance at the beginning...umm, is a Spanish dance called 'Flamenco'. It kinda came up in my research for the next chapter (which I eventually scrapped since it took too much effort and time), so I decided to use something for my efforts.

10/10/10

p.s. o_O...look at that date number, WOW XD

p.s.s. IT'S THE FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS STORY TOMORROWZZ! YEAHH! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO GO ON FOR SO LONG, BUT WHO CARES? 8D


	17. The Country of Green part 1

**The Country of Green (part 1)**

**Chapter XVII**

_Written by Shyion_

'…I can't feel my fingers…'

Len sat in the carriage, slouched up against the satin couch as he flexed his fingers, attempting to gain some feeling from them.

'And I can't move my hand past my head…ouch!' He winced as he tried to do so, his arm quickly falling back down onto the couch again.

He wore a white long sleeved shirt, the top two buttons and sleeves undone, accompanied by black pants. No need for fancier, and certainly more uncomfortable attire when travelling he reasoned before.

'She knows how to give me a workout alright…I don't think I'll ever play so many scores in a lifetime normally. They just kept coming, and when she found the one she wanted…' he shivered at the memory.

"Miku gave you a hard time then eh?" Gumi said cheerfully on the other side of the carriage, waving a fan in front of her face as she watched him.

The Lady in turn was dressed in a long flowing dress that reached all the way up to her ankles, the sleeves reaching up to her shoulders as her lush green hair fell in delicate curls upon it. Dyed in a light green, thin, darker green lines climbing up higher and higher from the hem of her dress, emulating elegant vines climbing up a green pillar.

"Where does she get so much energy from…" He said, more pleading than a question. "I just don't understand where…"

"When she sets her mind on something, stopping her can become as hard as stopping a runaway horse. You just have to let her run until she gets tired of it, or she finishes it." She replied, chuclking.

"She did help keep you on your fingers though!" Luka said, laughing beside the boy.

His 'Mistress' in turn wore similar clothes to Len; something simple and befitting that of a wide-travelling Merchant .

"Ha ha ha, I'm sure my toes wouldn't have helped at all anyway." He said, dryly as he leaned out the carriage window door, his arms hanging from his elbows as he stared at the passing trees.

'Even though I say that…' He whispered in his mind, feeling the cool breeze flow past him. 'I was truly enraptured by her…every movement, every step she took back in that hall, back in Lady Gumi's manor…My mind, I just can't…'

There, through the trees, he saw her ghostly silhouette dancing once more.

Twisting and turning, her elegant figure moved inbetween the trees, following them as they continued to move. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that a ghostly spirit was trailing them. And as he watched, he closed his eyes, preferring to watch only her silhouette dancing in his mind's eye.

"I just can't get rid of it from my mind…" He whispered to himself after a long while.

"Did you say something, Len?" Luka asked, looking at him.

"Ah!" He started, turning his head around as his eyes opened in surprise. "Oh, er, no, nothing, nothing." He said quickly afterwards, turning his face away from the two within the carriage to hide his face, slowly flushing with red.

The two women looked at him for a brief moment, before continuing with their chatting behind him.

'What is this…' he questioned. 'I'm only here to help her, right?' He smiled grimly as he thought for a while longer. 'Yeah, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time…yeah, wrong place, wrong time, and now I'm here…forced to help her for a festival that is part of another country completely different from mine…'

Slowly, almost without realising it himself, his head turned to the back of the carriage. And as he turned, his eyes passed over Lady Gumi's cavalry bodyguard. Then the supply and luggage carriage. Then there, at the end, still surrounded with cavalrymen, the simpler servant's carriage.

'How will this end, I wonder…' He thought to himself, lying back on the seat as he let the jostling of the carriage send him into sleep.

* * *

The Capital was alive with excitement.

Night had already fallen by the time they entered the city's gates, lines upon lines of lanterns criss-crossing inbetween the houses just above the street. Banners, Flags, Adverts and shop signs were aplenty as the caravan rumbled in, the large cobblestone path giving plenty of room to manoeuvre in.

Even here, on the city's outskirts there was so much commotion, hundreds upon hundreds of people milling around, weaving through the stalls and alleyways. Children, adults and the elderly all alike were out in force today, and comparatively so were the stalls as well. Thousands upon thousands of goods and wares could be seen; porcelain figures and vases, intricate woodwork carvings, furniture, jewellery, and of course, food.

"Amazing…" It was all Len could force out of his mouth in amazement.

'Even such a small country can be so active; I don't think I've ever seen the Kingdom of Yellow's capital so alive and full of energy before…' He thought to himself as he watched from the window.

"This festival is held every year." Gumi said as she looked out of the window as well, watching. "It is to celebrate the birthday of our Constitutional Monarchy. It was very lucky that you came when you did; this is truly the highlight of the year."

"It runs for usually a week," she continued "with a variety of activities and events rotating around: Each day you'll see something different at the City Square, where most of the action takes place."

"Yeah, it was really chaotic the last time I came…" Luka said, smiling as she looked out of the window, at a group of children playing to their hearts content. "

"It's going to be very hard to imagine what its like over at the centre then, when things are like this on the outskirts iself…" Len said as he watched the passing stalls, his eyes ogling the wares sold. "There's just so many stalls; and the goods they sell are equally as many…"

By now the convoy had been driven to a walking pace due to the pedestrians that littered the road everywhere.

"Milady." A man on horseback said as he looked through the window.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Gumi replied, looking at him.

"It appears that we will have to take a slight detour from our original planned route." He began. "It will take too long to get to your city residences if we were to try and wade through this." He gestured to the crowd. "And we also run the risk of hurting someone as we continue this route."

"Yes, I understand." Gumi said, looking out of the window again. "I trust it that you already have a route planned?"

"Of course, Milady." The man said, bowing his head slightly.

"Then I leave us in your care then." She said, smiling at him.

The man nodded curtly, before slowly making his way to the front of the convoy.

"It looks like this is going to take a while…" Gumi said, sighing. "Even if we try and take a less-crowded route, this festival never fails to congest the entire city."

"Hmm…" Luka mumbled thoughtfully. "Len, why don't you go out and have a look around the city then?" She said suddenly.

"Huh?" The boy was snapped out of his stupor at the mention of his name. "Oh, no, its alright. I'm fine waiting here in the carriage."

"Are you sure?" The pink-haired maiden asked again. "It's going to be very boring for you, just sitting there and staring into space. Not to mention frustrating watching those good pass by your eyes." She teased gently.

"N-no, I'm fine waiting here." He said. "Besides, I'd probably get very lost as soon as I step out of the carriage."

"Hmm, you do have a point." Gumi entered. "The city can get very hectic at times like this, and it'll be easy to get pushed into some unrecognisable alleyway as well."

"Lady Gumi…" A voice entered the carriage.

"Oh, Haku, Miku." The noble replied, looking through the window opposite Len's side of the carriage.

There were two horses outside of the carriage, the two servants on different horses, the two girls each supported by one of the guards from the rear.

"Is it alright if we go and explore the city?" Miku asked, closest to the window. "The guards told us that it'll be quite a while until we can get to our residences, so we thought we could use this time more constructively."

The teal-haired girl was dressed in a plain black dress that reached all the way to her ankles, her tight sleeves only to her elbows in contrast. Her straight hair was pulled into two ponytails reaching to her shins by two thin ribbons.

"Ahah, that's a great idea!" Gumi said, waving her fan as she laughed gently. "Yes, of course you may. But…"

"But…?" Miku asked, apparently quite eager to get about exploring.

"You two take Len around with you." Luka said, knowing what her friend was thinking as she answered them, smiling.

"…Hey…" Len said, watching the four as his eyes widened slowly.

"We were about to ask whether he'd like to join us too, actually." Haku said over her friend, the two smiling at them. She too was dressed in identical attire as her friend, her hair pulled into a single long ponytail with a large, light-green bow.

"So I guess that's a yes then!" Miku exclaimed, ignoring him.

"Hey…" The boy said again, flustered.

"Alright, that's settled!" Luka said jubilantly.

"Driver, please stop the carriage for a short while." Gumi said, tapping the wood behind her gently.

"Well, right now we aren't moving anywhere so I guess done is done, Milady." The man said, turning his head around to look through a small silt in the wood at them.

"Hey!" Len almost shouted this time. "I said I didn't want to!"

"Oh stop being such a shut-in." Miku said, surprising him.

She had already dismounted and circled around the carriage to his side, and was staring at him through the window, pouting slightly.

"Mmm…" Haku said, quickly joining her friend at the window, nodding silently in agreement.

The boy took another look at the two women sitting behind him, begging them to stop this. And immediately wished he didn't.

"Oh, get out, you're going to turn your brain into a statue just sitting there doing nothing!" Luka said, undoing the carriage door latch and almost throwing him out of the carriage."

"You two take good care of him, alright?" Gumi said over her friend as Len stumbled onto the crowded street between the two girls.

"Don't worry, Lady Gumi, he'll be fine!" Miku shouted back excitedly, pulling his reluctant figure along, Haku following her friend quickly afterwards as she waved to them.

'Crap, what am I getting into…'

* * *

**I feel ashamed...OTZ**

**Yeah, 2 months, it took me 2 friggin months to write this thing that's barely even longer than the 1st chapter...Oh how pathetic am I?**

**Mmmm, but yes, mushy stuff is now inevitable...Well, I guess you'll be the judge of that actually come next chapter. I've actually half-written the next chapter, but I decided to split it here to make it easier to read. These ridiculously long chapters may be a bad thing after all TT_TT...**

**Well, until next week!  
**

**12/12/10**

**...Is it more pathetic that I posted this on such a strage date number? AGAIN? X_X  
**


	18. The Country of Green part 2

**The Country of Green (part 2)**

**Chapter XVIII**

_Written by Shyion_**  
**

"Oooh, wow, they didn't have this last year." Miku exclaimed to her friend as she looked at one of the stalls.

"Mmm, that'd look good on the Lady…" Haku said, pointing at a brooch.

"Yeah, I agree…" Miku said, before trailing off. "Do we have any money on us?"

"…" The two looked at each other, knowing the answer for both of them. Then, Miku turned around, Haku quickly following suit, to their unfortunate victim.

"What!" Len exclaimed, stepping backwards a bit as the two looked at him. "I-I don't have any!"

"Awww…" Miku began to pout at him, as if knowing he had some stashed somewhere.

"Hey, I don't even want to be here!" He began.

"Then why are you still here?" Haku asked innocently.

"Because I'd get lost almost immediately!" He almost shouted at them, embarrassed.

"Then it looks like our little plan worked then!" Miku said, laughing as she walked up to him. "You won't run away now, will you, Len?" She asked him as she brought her face close to his, hands on her hips.

"…I can't anyway…" He looked away as he finished.

"Then cough up some money!" She leapt at him suddenly, the boy almost screaming in surprise.

"Please forgive my friends for this, ma'am." Haku said, bowing apologetically to the stall owner as the two continued in their scuffle.

"Hah, don't worry about it, dear." She said, laughing at the two. "It always happens each year anyway; a girl forcing her boyfriend to buy her something."

"Ah, erm…" Haku said, looking at them, twiddling her fingers uneasily at the misunderstanding.

"Fine! I do have some!" Len shouted finally, giving in. "But it's nowhere near enough for jewellery like that!"

"Oh?" Miku said, mischievously as she held on, her arms tightly wound around his neck, her feet dangling off the ground as her whole weight is put on him. "Then what's it enough for?"

"…For a meal…" He muttered, having an inkling of where this is going.

"How about three?" The girl whispered directly into his ear, her head resting on his shoulder as she continued to put her weight on him.

"…There's enough to last me a day…" He said, reluctantly

"Then that's three meals alright!" She exclaimed jubilantly, before turning around to her friend. "Hey, Haku, Len's going to buy us dinner instead!"

"Heeey!" Len shouted again. "I didn't say that! And get off me already!"

"Not unless you pay up! Boys are supposed to treat girls on festival days!" She teased.

"And you are supposed to be my guides!" He retorted back, spinning around trying to get her off.

"Then we'll leave you to get lost if you don't pay for dinner!" She said, laughing as she held on.

"Grrr…" Len muttered, getting embarrassed by the crowds passing them by. "Fine, fine! I'll pay, just get off me!"

"Hehehe…That's more like it!" She said, chuckling as she let go. "I knew you'd see things my way. Haku! You know that Pub I've always wanted to try?"

"Hm? Yeah, I remember." Her friend replied, coming over to the two.

"Let's go and grab something from there before walking around!" She said, smiling as she grabbed Len's hand firmly. "Len's paying tonight!"

"Ugh…" Len sighed in defeat as he let himself be dragged along into the crowd, the two girls chatting all the way in front of him.

* * *

"Haaah, that's good stuff!" Miku said contentedly, rubbing her stomach as the three walked through the streets.

"Haaaaah…" Haku sighed in content as she stumbled forward, her face flushed with red.

"Ah, you're drunk again." Her friend commented as she grabbed hold of her arm to steady her, smiling. "You really should control yourself more."

"Yeah, and try not to burn a hole in my pocket at the same time." Len commented dryly as he closed his purse, after counting a few coppers left.

"Well~~" Haku said, ignoring him. "Whasshould we do now? Hic." She slurred.

"I don't think you're in any real position to do much else, Haku." Miku said, concerned about her friend as she guided her through the crowded streets, Len following close behind them so as not to get lost.

"Aww, nawww, I'm shtill jussh fineee" Haku said, still smiling in her stupor.

"Well…" Miku said, in thought.

'I don't really want to go back just right now either; the night is still young after all…'

"I guess we can still walk around a bit more, and see what everyone is doing…"

"Yeaaah!" Haku exclaimed, raising her hand in her excitement. "Heey, ishn't there suppozzed to be that dance competishion somewhere near?" She commented as she looked around the neighbourhood, some of the buildings looking familiar to her through her hazy vision.

"Ah, yeah, you're right!" Miku said as she too recognised her surroundings. "They had it near here last year, didn't they?" She slung her friends arm over her shoulders as she began to walk forward. "Hey, Len!"

"What?" The boy asked, coming up obediently to her side.

"Help me with Haku; at least until we get to the next event of the night."

"And what would that be?" He asked, doing as he was told and slinging Haku's free arm over his own shoulders.

"They hold a dance competition every year in this neighbourhood." Miku replied as she walked forward. "We're going over to have a quick look." She smiled at him as she did so.

"Oh, ok then…" He said as he followed suit.

'Maybe she still needs more ideas for her dance then…' he thought to himself, weaving through the crowd as the three walked onwards.

* * *

"How did I get stuck here again?" He asked aloud to no one in particular.

Not like his voice could be heard over the noise anyway.

In a large clearing there stood a low-rise wooden platform, its area easily bigger than a house. Surrounding it were hundreds of people, watching as dozens of men and women danced on stage. Surrounding them again, was a raised platform where even more spectators stood, having a clear view of the entire area. On the opposite side of where Len stood was an even higher platform, where a group of about 15 men and women stood, surveying the dancers below them. To their right was another platform, this time crowded with an entire band of musicians, playing music accompaniment for those on the floor.

"Yeaah! Go Miku!" Haku shouted above the crowd, punching the air, leaning on the boy.

"Haku, not so loud!" He commented, still holding her up over his shoulder.

When the three had arrived, Miku almost immediately separated from the group to join in on the festivities, leaving the boy alone to support their drunken friend in the huge crowd.

Len looked quickly around the stage, looking for her as he walked forward, through the crowd and towards the stage's side, Haku in tow.. There, he saw here within the crowd of dancers on-stage, almost in the centre of the group already.

Twisting and turning in time to the music, her hair flailing behind her, she laughed and smiled as she continued dancing within the crowd, her elegant figure the only thing that Len could focus on within the chaos on-stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A man on the platform spoke out through the crowd.

Almost immediately the music stopped as if by direct command, the dancers stop on their feet, and the crowd turned their faces towards him.

"Thank you all for turning up today despite the many other festivities that are occurring around our wonderful city!" He spoke after a brief pause, looking at the crowd below as he held his hands outstretched to them. "Every year we get dozens upon dozens of dancers turning up on the floor, and tonight is certainly no different! But now I believe that we have all waited long enough!"

'Long enough?' Len thought, confused.

"It is time for the main event for tonight to commence!" He continued to the crowd. "Tonight is the night, that we declare our City's best Dance Couple!"

'Why am I suddenly getting a bad feeling…?' The boy thought as a chill ran up his spine as the thought of running away crossed his mind.

As he turned around to move away from the stage and deeper into the crowd, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder as his feet almost buckled under him.

"Wheeeere you goin', Lenn?" Haku slurred as her weight suddenly shifted onto him, her drunk face leaning dangerously close.

'Oh crap…'

"Dancers on the floor; Please pick your partners!"

A surge of activity began on the stage as the dancers already on rushed to find their partner, people on the floor pulling themselves up on stage to join in at the last minute.

"Heey, Len!" A voice shouted at the two from the stage.

'Oh shit…' Len's eyes widened, his back still to the stage. 'Oh no…no, no, no!' He tried shuffling away, but the weight Haku put on him made it almost impossible to manoeuver through the crowd.

"Hey, Len, you're trying to run away eh…" The chiding voice was directly behind him now.

"I'm tired enough as it is; you almost killed my fingers in that week!" He shouted as he turned his head, knowing who was behind him.

"Aww, you're no fun!" Miku said, pouting as she placed her hands on her hips. "Well, not like you actually have any choice!" She grabbed his free hand and pulled him back to the stage, Haku finally letting go as she stumbled along with them to the stage's base.

"Thanks for holding onto him, Haku!" Miku shouted back as she pulled the boy onto the stage.

"Hooo, No problem!" Haku shouted in reply as she stood at the stage's side. "Have funnn!"

"Oh God, Why?" The boy pleaded as he was pulled along.

"Come on, Len, this'll be fun!" Miku said to him as she weaved through the crowd to find a clear spot.

"I'd rather take my chances finding my way home alone rather than embarrassing myself here." He muttered under his breath, his hands still in Miku's firm grip.

"Aww, come on, you're with me!" She said, confident of herself. "It'll be fun, we'll do something simple for tonight so you don't need to worry, Len!"

"I still don't want to…" he said, sourly.

"You don't exactly have a choice, Len." She said, smiling devilishly as she came to a stop. "This spot should be good enough."

"Hmm…" Len looked around the platform very quickly to regain his positioning. "We're right in the middle!"

"Really?" Miku asked, looking around. "Ah well, all the better then!"

"Damnit, this is going to be so embarrassing…" The boy said again.

"Don't be such a sour puss." She patted his cheek lightly as she came closer. "Let's just enjoy this."

"Aren't you worried about embarrassing yourself in front of all these people?" He asked, drawing away slightly before meeting a wall of people. "You don't even know how well I can dance anyway!"

'He's got a point there…' She thought to herself, stepping closer. 'But even so, somehow I feel this is going to turn out to be very interesting…'

"Hmm, that's true…" She said, putting her right hand around him regardless. "But still, I trust you'll do a good job anyway." She smiled at him.

"Ugh…" He groaned, but he still put his left hand around her, clasping her left in his right up high in the air.

"Good boy!" She said, laughing at his unhappy face. "We'll have fun tonight, don't worry."

'He's cute when he's like this…'

"Wait, do you even know what kind of music they're putting on!" He queried her.

"Hmm…Nope!" She laughed again as she saw his jaw dropped one foot, before the man on the pedestal began to speak once again.

"It appears that everyone is ready now!" He shouted out to the crowd below. "I wish everyone here the best of luck! Musicians, begin!" At his last two words, he clapped his hands three times, as the music began once again.

It started off slowly, a few drums setting the beat and the tempo.

"Salsa…" Len muttered under his breath as he recognised the pattern.

"Ooo, you're very sharp, aren't you?" Miku commented, raising one eyebrow as their feet began to move in time to the music.

"I, uh…" He tried to answer as his feet began to move slowly on their own. "Lots the taverns I've stayed in during my apprenticeship kept playing salsa music as entertainment."

"Hmm…" Miku thought, her feet moving alongside his as she studied him. "Then I'm sure dancing to this music for you'll be no problem then!"

As if by cue the music's tempo suddenly sped up, the drums being joined by a piano, trombones, trumpets, saxophones and guitars. And piercing through the spicy blend of music, three female singers began, setting the mood of the music and night in stone.

"Haha! Now this is more like it!" Miku shouted, laughing as the music picked up.

Immediately afterwards she stepped backwards away from her partner, stretching out her hand before twirling back, their two arms coiling around her like a ribbon as her free hand grasped onto Len's waiting hand behind her back.

"Oi, oi!" Len complained, even though his body was following her spontaneous directing. "I thought you said we'll be only doing something simple!"

"This is simple!" She shouted at him, laughing as the two stepped forwards then backwards.

She released their coiled arms as she brought Len's hand above her head, spinning several times in turn to the music before she stopped, stepping back and stretching their arms again, before letting Len pull her forwards back into his arms.

"Fine then, I'll play your game for tonight." He whispered over her shoulder as she returned, his left hand holding onto hers stretched out in front of him, his right hand resting on her shoulders as her back was faced to him.

"Oh ho, getting fired up are we?" She commented softly, smiling at him.

"No…" He replied as they took a few steps, holding their positions. "I just want to get this over and done with."

She lifted her left arm up in the air, Len following suit as he exchanged his left with his right arm, Miku twirling around to face him as their free hands wrapped around each other, their position identical to their start.

"Do you not like me that much?" She asked him suddenly as they stopped, her face both serious and sad at the same time.

"…I didn't say that." He stated, abashed.

"Hmm, I know…" She said, smiling alluringly at him as she draped her right hand over his face. "I was just teasing you." She shook her body from side to side as she finished speaking, her skirt spilling everywhere in the process.

"Hmph." He muttered as he smirked, before pulling his right arm down across him, taking his left hand away.

"Wheee!" She exclaimed, her body moving in response as she let her partner toss her across.

She spun once on the way before she reached the full length of their arms, pulling back towards her partner almost immediately afterwards. Her free hand grasped his shoulders as she was tossed again, pulling her partner along with her slightly before they stopped, her figure leaned backwards slightly.

"Mmm, you're good." She whispered, her right hand tracing his neck up to clasp the back of his head through his bright blond hair.

"That's what you get for not checking how good I am first." He whispered in reply, smiling as he too felt the thrill of the moment entering him.

"I'm definitely going to enjoy this…" She smiled back as she let herself be pulled upright, her face burying itself in his chest before they continued their dance.

* * *

_Wow, there's a lot of good dancers tonight, isn't there?_

_Yeah, you're right._

_Choosing a winner out of all of them is going to be very troublesome, isn't it?_

_Yeah, they're all on almost equal footing in terms of skill…_

_I've seen many of them over the past three years though…_

_Yeah, they keep on coming back for more each year after training._

_They really enjoy this you know; I've spoken to many of the contestants over the past years and they never fail to say how much they enjoyed this event._

_At least that'll keep this event running every year then, out of sheer popularity._

_Got that right…But how the hell are we going to pick just two out of so many?_

_Wait a minute…I've never seen those two before…_

_Hm, which two?_

_There, in the middle you blind old geezer!_

_Hey, yeah, I haven't seen them during the past years that's for sure…I'd definitely remember the girl if I saw her here before…_

_Pfft, that's surprising considering your age._

_Must be because she's a young girl._

_Oy, what was that?_

_Hmm, that boy's cute though…his dress style is just so fresh…_

…_I didn't know you were into shota._

_WHAAAT!_

_Hey, what's so special about them anyway?_

_I've never seen their dance pattern before._

_Good point…it doesn't remind me of any dance I know of either watching them…_

_Are you telling me that it's spontaneous?_

_What, all of that?_

_Their movements are almost too smooth for that to be possible!_

_Their style fits in with the music perfectly though, as if it were custom-tailored for it…_

_Got that right…Even a number of contestants are already moving to the edge of the stage in defeat just watching them._

_Are you sure it's only them that's making them lose confidence?_

_Ok fine, maybe not…Still, they're good._

…_I think, we have our winners here.

* * *

_

"This is more of a stamina contest than a dance contest…" Len panted through as he twirled Miku around and around in front of him, his left hand tracing itself over her stomach and waist.

"They're very enthusiastic about this." She said, laughing as she enjoyed herself, fatigue only barely showing through. "It shouldn't be much longer though."

"Yeah, you're right…" He whispered as his ears pricked up to the music.

"Alright then." She said as she drew herself into his arms, their bodies just millimetres apart now as they faced each other. "Let's finish this."

"Yes, let's." He replied.

Following her cue, he took a step backwards as he pulled his right arm down across him. The powerful strike sent Miku spinning, locked in that location as Len stepped away, spinning due to his own momentum. Her feet moved in a flurry as her long hair lashed out into the air, her head tilting backwards as she spun, laughing in joy as her arms stretched out and upwards into the starry sky.

After a brief while, she reached out her left hand, colliding with a snap into Len's right. On cue the pair stopped spinning on the spot as they pulled themselves towards each other, the boy quickly enveloping her waist with his free hand as she leaned her body backwards, Len's face just above her own.

The two stood there, locked in that position unaware of the world around them as the square ground to a halt, the music, the dancers, and the crowd.

'He's just too good in too many ways to be an _apprentice trader_…' Was all Miku could think of, her breathing deep and controlled as she stared into her partner's emerald eyes. 'There's something else that he, and his _Master,_ is not telling us.'

'But yet somehow…'

In a dream-like trance, her free hand moved slowly upwards, burying itself in his flaxen hair even as she was still leaning backwards.

"Miku?" Len asked as he felt her hands, his breath deep as his forehead glistened with sweat.

'I feel… Like…'

Slowly, ever so slowly she pulled her body upwards towards him.

She felt muscles in his neck tense as she approached.

The hand around her waist tightened.

'I can trust him despite that.'

Then she closed her eyes as she took the plunge, pulling herself up the last few centimetres with a sudden surge of energy as their lips collided in a kiss.

The boy's eyes opened in surprise at the sudden move.

But he didn't draw his body away, instead releasing his right hand and wrapping it around her waist, her now-free left hand wrapping around his head as he returned the kiss, the two oblivious to the man who announced the night's winners, and the roaring crowd that followed soon after.

* * *

**WAHAHAHAHA, I bet a number of you were waiting for this…and a number sending assassins & ninjas my way even now. Out of courtesy, please leave your names in a review so I know who to blame for the blood on the floor. If it helps any, imagine Miku was Rin & this was a one-shot of Discotheque Love XD.**

**I almost went mad writing that last bit though, and somehow I feel that it's going to take a wee while before I'm fully ready to write the next chapter since I'm feeling so drained (not like it took me longer to write this than I should have)…It doesn't help any that I realised Salsa wasn't 'invented' until somewhere around 1910, far too late for the storyline, but I just can't be arsed to change the chapter…**

**Ah well, ignore that for now, we'll see what comes.**

***Strikes pointing Uncle Sam WW1 pose***

**I WANT ****YOU****…TO REVIEW!**

**I want to know what you, as the readers, are thinking. Good, Bad, Crap, I wanna hear it. The more I hear from you, the more I can improve & the better I'll get. The better I get, the better the story will get! It's a win-win situation! 8D**

**In any case, Merry Christmas everybody, and I hope you enjoy your little present from me 8D**

**25/12/2010****  
**


	19. The Country of Green part 3

**The Country of Green (part 3)**

**Chapter XIX**

_Written by Shyion_

* * *

The theatre was packed to the brim, the milling of the audience filling the temporary silence as the actors prepared themselves behind satin curtains, the bright, flickering flames of torches and the chandeliers tinting the brightly-clothed nobles with a hint of red. The deep green tapestries and tabards, crossed sword and shields pinned onto the walls proclaimed clearly to all, that this place belonged to the Country of Green.

"Must I go through this?" Kaito moaned aloud, fanning himself. "This place was already hot before all of these people came in, yet now it's just getting even worse!"

He sat, alongside a number of other men and women, within a special box for the guests of honour within the theatre.

"I would at least ask you to conduct yourself as a Prince would." His advisor chided him, sparing only a brief glance at the young man before swatting Kaito's arm with the hem of his robe. "You are here on a diplomatic mission; how do you expect anyone to take you seriously if you behave in such a manner?"

"They take me seriously because I'm me." The young man spoke disinterestedly in reply, his hand still moving. "The Kingdom of Blue is unmatched throughout the known world, and anyone worth their position here should know that much at least."

"Politics isn't as simple as that, Young Prince." His elderly companion spoke, exasperated. "Of course everyone knows who you are, and they will know not to do anything rash to you _in public_. However, it's the dealings behind the scenes that will get every leader not on their guard like you are right now! Honestly, I wish you would take your duties more seriously."

"But I have you to help take care of my mistakes though, don't I?" Kaito replied, looking at the stage as his mind phased out the chatter around him. "And anyway, in terms of domestics I have no trouble at all, do I not?"

"That, I must admit you show promise." He reluctantly admitted. "But domestics is one thing, foreign relations is another thing altogether. Unless you put in as much effort here as you do at home, the future of our Kingdom is as grim as can be!"

"I'll work it out, somehow." Kaito spoke nonchalantly. "Here now; the performance is starting, it would do no one any favours to cause a scene now."

"Ugh…" The elderly man rubbed his temples, exasperated, before leaning back to watch the festivities.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen," The overdressed man proclaimed to the audience as the last performance was packed up. "We, the Governance of the Country of Green, and our most honoured Guest Performers, have been delighted at such a grand turnout tonight."

"This festival, as you would all know, celebrates our country's full Independence many years ago, from which our people have only went from strength to strength. This year's performance, has also been specially prepared for our most important guest tonight: The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Blue, of whom has graced us with his most noble presence tonight."

The man gestured towards a box embedded into the theatre, reserved for the guest of honour. Within, a man waved nonchalantly to all who turned to look, his white glove illuminated by the flames of the torches, although his own face was shrouded by shadows until only his neighbours could see him.

"Now, without further ado, I would like to present our crowning performance for tonight." The man continued after his pause. "Today, 3 honoured guests shall grace us with pristine music, alongside unrivalled dancing. Some may say that their skill is beyond that of our local musicians. Some believe that they are foreign performers from a country so far unknown to our maps. And others believe that their skill is simply not human in capacity."

"However, I believe that their performance, is simply one worthy of a King. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, The Waltz, of the Emerald Princess." With this, he bowed extravagantly, moving off the stage as the satin curtains opened.

The stage quietened as the audience silenced themselves in cue with the man's words.

Two people, a young blonde boy and a white-haired woman stepped out of the shadows, standing at one corner of the stage, bowing before the audience.

The white-haired woman wore a simple grey embroidered dress, the hem reaching down to her ankles whilst the sleeves covered her arms totally, her ruby-red eyes matching the red rose embedded into her titanium-white hair.

The young blonde, his hair tied into a short tail behind his head, in turn wore black trousers, with an accompanying white shirt and vest. His emerald-blue eyes shone from beneath his locks of hair, a faint determined aura surrounding him.

An otherwise plain duo, after their introduction, moved towards two instruments partially concealed by the darkness; the woman to a guitar, the boy to a Grand Piano.

Taking but a few minutes, the duo quickly set themselves up, the audience's anticipation for the upcoming performance rising as another woman appeared on stage, catching many of the audience unawares.

Her face hidden by her long green hair tied into two ankle-length tails, she appeared out of the darkness whilst the duo was setting up. The rustling of her long, ankle-length dress which was layered green and white, faintly wafted over the audience, stunned as they were by her elegant movements, contrasting against the sharp clacks of her shoes against the lacquered stage floor.

Then, she stopped in the middle of the stage, the left side of her body facing the audience as she brushed her hair aside, turning towards the audience and stunning them once more with her beauty, one of which even those at the back could recognise. There, she stopped, holding her pose as her emerald eyes scanned the stage, silence descending once more.

Watching the audience's reaction.

Waiting for her signal to begin.

Just as the silence started becoming oppressive, the duo began their performance, an active piano piece accompanied by the subtle plucking of the guitar's strings breaking the silence as if breaking an egg.

The mood of the piece was decidedly carefree, as if depicting a young girl with the world prepared to obey her whims, the tune gradually growing higher and higher, before suddenly the piano faltered, breaking down and fading out, until only a few sparse, low notes mingled in with the constant plucking of the guitar strings.

Throughout this time, the green-haired woman remained steady, up until the point where the piano broke down, before she began moving, like a wax statue come alive.

Slowly, she closed her eyes, her mouth curving into a smile as she nodded her head several times to the guitar strings, her shoulder moving almost seductively as her heels began tapping on the floor in rhythm to the notes.

After a few seconds of this, the rhythm was broken by a clash of metal, as suddenly the boy, one hand still playing, threw a metal object out from the sides of the stage, the red flame of the torches illuminating silver, unblemished metal aiming directly for the green-haired woman!

Yet as if waiting for it, she twirled around on her heel, her right hand grasping the object as she turned towards the audience once more, tapping the object against her left palm as she did so, the jingling of metal bells revealing the object to be a tambourine.

Awestruck at her speed, the audience could do nought but watch in amazement as her movements suddenly became active, the jingling of the tambourine now providing an even happier, carefree overtone to the guitar and piano, which had resumed their original relationship.

Beginning in mostly low tones, the music flowed smoothly like waves, the woman's feet dancing across the stage as her dress ruffled silently against the music, the gentle, consistent ringing of her tambourine echoing alongside the guitar and piano.

Slowly, the performance's tune heightened, before reaching a critical point, then cascading down in a repeat of before. But instead of ceasing, it continued to play, giving the music substance as it continued setting the mood and pace of the music, the guitar and tambourine following suit. Like the waves of the ocean, the piece's tune floated up and down, before a series of chords played by the piano, before it went silent once again.

Now, only the plucking of the guitar, alongside the ringing of the tambourine could be heard, the muffled low notes of the piano just barely audible as the green-haired dancer flitted across the stage, her dress billowing behind her as her feet and hands moved steadily, enthralling the audience with every elegant movement she made.

Continuing on for several more seconds, her elegant movements were cut by a loud clang of metal, deliberately made with her tambourine as the piano once again entered, flowing in seamlessly with the guitar and the dancer, who had picked up again the consistent ringing of her tambourine.

The three repeated the scenario at least twice; many within the audience weren't aware of how much time had passed, nor how many times the music repeated itself, their attention focused solely on the jovial music and the dancer's fleeting movements on stage. Regardless of their attention however, the trio kept playing, their music maintaining the mood as the piano drifted in and out of centre stage.

Then, in a departure of the usual tempo, just at a point where the piano is supposed to fall silent, it, as well as the guitar, fell silent. The tambourine also stopped its gentle ringing, instead playing with chimes that resembled more the ring of a great clock, rather than the small hand instrument it really is.

Chiming thrice, before falling silent once again, the audience held its breath only for a second, before the tambourine began its usual ringing again, rising up from the darkness as the guitar, then the piano joined it for what everyone recognised as the final stretch.

The trio repeated once more their usual routine, before cascading down into silence once again, this time the high pitched notes of the piano ringing out into the silence.

But in a complete departure from the jovial mood that the piece had maintained throughout the entire time, the solo, high-pitched notes of the piano carried with it a sense of loneliness, a sense of loss, as if the girl the music was depicting suddenly realised that not everything, could go her way.

After but a few seconds of this, the tambourine once again rose up from the darkness, as if in an attempt to swamp over this sad tone. Joining it very quickly, was the guitar as well as the piano, which had regained its earlier tempo and tunes. For a few seconds the trio played onwards, the tone maintained consistently until a point, where all three began to fade out. They repeated a final few notes, before silence reigned over the stage, the dancer's movements once again ceasing, as if she had once again turned into a wax statue.

For a few moments more, silence was maintained over the stage as the audience watched in awe, waiting, as if anticipating the music to continue.

Then, out of the audience, a single man stood up, his night-blue hair accentuated by the burning white of his clothes, standing out from within his dark box as he gave a standing ovation. His crisp claps drowned out the silence immediately, and soon the entire seated audience stood up, joining him in his applause as the trio walked forward to the front of the stage.

The dancer in between the two musicians, the boy on her right and the woman on her left, the three once again gave their greetings and thanks to the audience in a coordinated bow and curtsy. Then, the three took their leave, disappearing silently into the darkness of the stage as the audience's applause reverberated where their music once did.

* * *

**I feel like grinding my teeth to dust every time I look at this timestamp and that of the last chapter…I also feel like headdesking after I see all of the reviews that everyone's given my story. I feel both happy and humiliated that I can't meet everyone's expectations…OTL.**

**PLEASE MY DEAR READERS, COME BACK TO MEEEEE! I'M SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU! IT'S NOT MY FAULT, HONEST!**

**Yeah, writer's block, what can you do other than just ignore the story for a while…Sadly this time it took like, 9 months to get over it this time (and it still has a hold on me)…****BUT REMEMBER WHAT I SAID: I WILL NOT LET THIS DIE UNTIL IT'S DONE D8**** *insert battle cry here* (although you may have to be VERY patient with me…**

**But yes, I still feel that writer's block has a hold on me. I wanted to actually put something else at the end here but I just can't think of how to write it…SO, I'll post this guy now, & write it out in the next chapter. But I THINK I can start writing a bit more again... I was thinking that I'll see what I can write up over the next 2 months or so, then start posting what I have at regular intervals…until its done, then rinse & repeat.**

**'Btw guys, Im sticking all my doodles on my tumblr, including vocaloid [and their pairings] so if you want to fangirl/guy [?] you can find the link on the profile page :)  
YES, THIS IS SHAMELESS ADVERTISING *shot***

**Well, until next time! (which there WILL be, it's just a question of WHEN).**

**01/09/2011**


	20. See no Evil

**See no Evil...**

**Chapter XX**

_Written by Shyion_

* * *

"Miku!" The white-haired woman shouted, "Lady Luka and Len are leaving soon!"

"Just a second, Haku." Her friend replied behind her room's doors. "I'll be out in a minute; Lady Gumi said that another important guest is coming soon too, and that he requested to meet me personally."

"I'm guessing it must be someone from the performance that night then." Haku replied. "You really did turn some eyes, Miku."

"Oh, please, that couldn't have been pulled off so easily without your and Len's help; I'm very grateful." The reply came as the shuffling of clothes was barely audible behind her voice.

"I'll go see them off first, hurry up, alright?"

"Okay, see you." Haku smiled at herself, before turning around and going down the corridor towards the entrance.

Soon she reached the main reception room of the mansion, as she began to hear the voice of her lady, alongside another voice that she couldn't recognise.

'Is the visitor already here?' She thought to herself as their conversation wafted towards her ears.

"I apologise for not having a better reception prepared for you, my Prince." Her lady began.

'Wait, a Prince…Could it be…The Prince of Blue…he's the visitor!' She thought to herself, stunned as her eyes opened wide, her body still hidden from view.

"No, please, don't worry about it, Lady Gumi." The visitor's voice could be heard. "I did come on such short notice after all; it would be rude of me to not accept that something could be prepared for in such a short span of time."

"You are too kind, my Lord." Gumi said humbly. "Now, what may I owe your visit to?"

"I understand that the final performance of the festival just two days ago was organised by you, correct?"

"Yes, indeed. I hope that said performance was indeed to your liking?" Gumi's reserved reply and question came.

"Far, far more than that." The unknown guest replied, almost dripping with enthusiasm. "Their performance was the best that I could have ever imagined; capable of capturing my heart and soul for those fleeting few minutes that I sat in that pedestal. And I am certain, that every member of the audience would say the same."

"Please, your praise is far too high." Gumi said, chuckling.

"No, none is more deserving of such praise than the performers you had arranged for it. And ever since, I have found it difficult, no, impossible, to take the beautiful sight out of my mind, especially that of the lead dancer."

"So am I correct in assuming that you would like to meet the performers of that evening then?"

"Yes, yes, you are absolutely correct my Lady."

"Well, one of the performers I'm afraid must leave today for important business, and he will not be able to stay very long." Gumi began slowly. "However, two others, including the lead dancer, live here, within this household as my servants."

"Your servants?" The man exclaimed, almost incredulously. "Am I correct in assuming that you perhaps trained them personally?"

"No, no, please." Gumi said, almost laughing. "That praise I certainly am not worthy of. No, they trained themselves together ever since they arrived here in my household a year or so ago."

"Then that certainly puts me in even greater awe, Lady Gumi." The man said, his voice in clear parallel with his words. "Please, allow me to meet your two performers."

"With pleasure, my Prince." Gumi said. "Haku!"

"Ehh?"The white-haired girl almost jumped at the sudden mention of her name, before her response could come a few moments later. "Y-yes, Lady Gumi!" Flustered, she quickly entered the guest reception room, curtseying in her black servant's dress.

"Prince Kaito, my servant here, Haku, was one of the performers who played that night on the guitar." There, sat on a regal carved oak couch was Haku's mistress, Lady Gumi.

And there, across from her on an equally elegant couch, sat the object of her speculations.

The Prince of Blue, Kaito.

The man was dressed in a splendid white tailcoat and jabot collar with blue trimmings that contrasted sharply with his black trousers and boots. The elegantly carved cane he held in his hands served only to exacerbate his status, his elegance, and the unmistakeably regal aura he released.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Haku." The man said, his deep, almost alluring voice said as he stood up, coming closer and taking her hand, kissing it gently.

She almost thought her heart began to burst from her ribcage as he did this with zero hesitation, her body frozen to the spot even as he lifted his face away from her, his deep, crystal blue eyes watching her as his equally beautiful blue locks framed his face.

"Um, p-please, no, no, you are much too kind, my Lord." Haku said, her voice cracking as she attempted to keep her face from flushing. "T-the pleasure is mi-mine…" She bowed her head down finally, hoping her white locks will hide her shocked, strawberry-red face.

"Haku, please go and tell Miku that the guest has arrived." Gumi said, saving her from complete embarrassment. "And tell her to come to the guest reception room."

"My Lady," Kaito began as Gumi finished. "Please, may I request to meet her in private? I believe that her performance was certainly the crowning achievement of the entire evening, and I have something very…personal to tell her."

"Very well. Haku, please tell Miku to go to the garden; I will have another servant escort the Prince there." She clapped her hands as another male servant appeared immediately.

"If you would, my Prince." He said calmly, bowing and gesturing with his hand.

"Then I will bid you goodbye, Lady Gumi." The Prince said, bowing elegantly, before turning on his feet to follow the servant."

A few brief moments after they had left, she clapped her hands again, another servant appearing even as Haku still stood rooted to the spot.

"Please tell Lady Luka and her apprentice that our important guest had arrived earlier than expected, and if it they could, please return to the guest reception. He has asked to see the performers from the festival two days ago."

"Yes, milady." The servant said curtly, bowing before leaving.

"Haku, how long are you going to stand there for?" Gumi said after a few more seconds of silence after the last servant left.

"Ah!" Now the white-haired girl really did jump, her mind jerked out into the real world so abruptly. "Ye-yes, Lady Gumi, I'll go get Miku right away!"

Quickly she scurried out from the room, her footsteps quickly fading away from the room.

"Haah…" Gumi sighed as she smiled to herself. "Still so easily flustered eh…She still has a long way to go, I guess." But very quickly her smile vanished, as she replayed the Prince's words in her mind.

'Meet with her for something personal…eh…I wonder what's going to happen now…'

* * *

"Oh, what an embarrassment I am…" She whispered to herself as she sat on the floor, her hands on her face.

She sat behind a stone wall in the garden, having taken her teal-haired friend over to the garden, thinking the events of the past few minutes in her head, turning them over carefully.

"Really now, what was I thinking?" She muttered to herself again. "In front of a foreign Prince at that, as well as my Lady!" She groaned again, even as a set of feet came up in front of her.

"Haku, you ok?" A familiar voice said out of the blue.

Caught by surprise again, Haku's head jerked backwards, smacking the wall behind her with a dull thud as she grunted, her hands flying to the back of her head in reflex to the pain.

"Hey, be careful!" The blond boy crouched down in front of her, his hand reaching out behind her head and rubbing the spot carefully.

"Uuu…" She whimpered as she let him rub her head, her hands falling down to her side as tears slowly welled up. "Len…Why did this happen to me?"

"Calm down; first, what happened?" He asked her, moving over to her side as he sat down.

"Th-Th-The Prince of Blue's came to visit…" She began.

"Seriously!" The blond boy's eyes shot open in surprise, his hand retracting. "He's here now?"

"Yes…" Haku said, turning to look at him as she dried her eyes. "He should be in the garden right now talking to Miku; he was really impressed with our performance during the festival."

"I see…" Len said, his hand going to his chin as he thought. "When I heard that a special guest came to talk to us about the performance, I never expected it could be him..."

"He asked to meet Miku in private to give her his personal thanks for the performance…" She continued, before looking around. "Umm, where's Lady Luka right now?" She asked the blond boy.

"She's with Lady Gumi in the guest reception room." He replied standing up to look over the wall. "Hey, why don't we go for a closer look then?" He asked after a while of surveying the area.

"Are you serious!" She asked him, looking up.

"Yeah, why not?" He replied. "He did say he wanted to meet all of us later on, so we may as well find where they are. I'm not sure how much longer I can stay here anyway; and he should have finished with what he has to say to Miku by the time we get there, right?"

Without waiting for a reply he moved out from the cover of the wall, moving silently between the trees and hedges of the park. Sighing, Haku quickly followed, being careful to keep silent as the two made their way through the trees and hedges.

Very quickly they came to the centre of the garden, a large, circular area surrounded by hedges, the brown gravel covering almost every inch of the area except for its centre.

There, a large stone arch stood, covered in greenery and beautiful flowers, the scent attracting bees and animals alike.

There, under it, stood the Prince of Blue, Kaito, his right side facing the unseen duo.

And Miku, the servant, facing him directly a few steps apart.

"I am honoured by your praise, my Prince." Was the first few audible words the two heard. "But I truly believe it is too much; I am but a humble servant."

"Please, you are certainly most deserving of my praise." The man said, smiling radiantly as he stood in front of her. "And I am certain that everyone in that theatre would agree with me. It is only because I am such an important foreign delegate that I am able to free up enough time to congratulate you personally like this."

"Well…then, I am grateful for you visiting me." She smiled at him gently, before looking around the park. "But I do not understand; why is it that you wished to meet me here alone?"

"Ah, that…" The Prince said, stepping closer. "Well, Miku, I will be frank with you. The reason why I came here to your Lady's mansion, was to meet you personally."

"Yes, I know that much, my Prince…" Miku said, uncertain of what he was getting at.

"The premise, of meeting the group of performers that put on the finale of the festival, is but a cover." He said frankly, his hands reaching out and grasping hers gently, lifting it up to be levelled with her chest. "I came here, to see you; and no one else."

"But…why?" She said, even more uncertain at this sudden development, her hands remaining limp, not yet ready to break the connection.

"That night, your beauty surpassed of everything I know of put together. That night, your radiance surpassed that of the stars and the constellations above. Never, has any other woman entranced me as much as you did. Never, has my heart and soul yearned for something as much as it did then throughout my entire life."

His words, spoken clean and without hesitation, sounded like a poem to those who heard. Yet for some reason, each word sounded slowly more and more ominous as the blue-haired man continued. Oblivious he was, to the yellow-haired boy, and white-haired girl that watched, and listened, from a distance.

"For that night I forgot about everything as I watched you dance. Every woman, every man, every worry and every problem, I forgot as I watched you dance, for that night."

"For that night, I fell in love with you, Miku."

His final words resounded throughout the silent garden like the cracking of glass, silencing everything. Even the buzzing of bees turned to nothing as silenced reigned throughout the garden for what felt like an eternity.

"Please…Prince Katio, don't…make such a joke like this…" Miku finally forced words out of her mouth, her face turning away, worry and uncertainty written all over it. But even as she did so, her hands still remained firmly clasped in his.

"This is no joke, Miku." The man continued, one hand gently holding her chin as he turned her face towards him. "My love for you burns brighter than anything I could imagine; never for a single moment could I take you off of my mind for the past two days. I felt my heartbeat quicken a hundred times over every time I thought about you."

"I…I…" The girl, lost for words, her eyes darting back and forth, neither her hands nor her body lacking the strength to break free after such a heartfelt confession.

Without wasting any time, the man embraced her gently, his long arms enveloping her small frame easily as he spoke again.

"You do not need to answer me now, Miku." He began. "But please, think my confession over carefully."

"I'd better go." Len whispered, his voice devoid of any emotion Haku had felt earlier, before they saw what had transpired.

"Len?" She turned around, only to see that Len had already walked several paces away, his face already hidden from her view.

"See you, Haku." He said curtly, not bothering to turn around as his muffled footsteps grew further and further. "Take care; give Miku my regards, and I'm sorry I don't have time to pay my respects to his Majesty."

Haku just stood there, dumbstruck at this double blow, her hand halfway up as she watched him go. As he disappeared, she turned around to look again at the two, still locked in their one-sided embrace, wondering what will happen from here on end.

* * *

"Aah, that was a nice holiday, wasn't it, Len?" Luka asked relaxedly, stretching her hands as she let her horse ride forward slowly along the dirt path. "Did you enjoy yourself, Len?" She asked again, turning towards the blond boy behind her.

"Mmm, yeah." He said, half-heartedly, his mind somewhere else, along with his gaze.

She watched him for a few moments, before sighing to herself.

'It's been five days since we left Gumi's mansion, and one since we re-entered the Kingdom of yellow…' She thought to herself as she turned back to the road. 'He seemed so much better after the festival, yet that day when we left…what happened? He's been like that ever since too…'

One hand went to her chin as she thought about what happened, deducing possible results about what happened.

'I heard from Gumi then in the reception room that the Prince of Blue, Kaito came that day on short notice, and that he requested to see the three of them for their performance. But he also asked to see Miku alone…What could that mean…What did he have to say to her in particular, and to no one else…' She bit her lip gently as she thought, her mind ticking like a clock.

Then, as if it struck the hour, her mind formed perhaps the worst possible scenario she could think of as her eyes widened in shock.

'Could it be?' was all her mind thought just as she noticed the lone man galloping at full speed towards them.

Sensing something, she shuffled her horse sideways slightly off to the left of the road, her hands preparing themselves for combat. On the corner of her eye she noticed Len doing the same, moving off to the right of the road.

'At least he's not completely lost it…' She thought to herself as she watched the man closely.

Quickly the newcomer approached the duo, before quickly pulling on the reigns , his horse stopping just twenty or so paces away from them.

"Are you Luka, an agent of the Kingdom of Yellow?" He shouted to them, turning his body slightly so that the two can clearly see his tabard bearing the insignia of a messenger from their home country.

"I be her." Luka responded. "What summons do you bring?" She asked, her guard laxing slightly as she let her horse approach him slowly, Len doing the same behind her.

"A group of bandits have surfaced in the area not far from here." The man said as the two reached him, pulling out a map and highlighting areas so that the two can see clearly. "The Princess has realised from your communications that were due to return soon via this route."

Again, he highlighted the road that they were travelling on, the area where the bandits were active being dangerously close.

"The Princess wishes the quick elimination of this camp. You are authorised to use any means necessary to do so." He continued, relaying the orders. "A garrison of soldiers that you may use is located here, and you are allowed to request more troops if you so wish." At this he pulled out an envelope with a wax seal from his side-pocket, handing it over to Luka who promptly broke the seal, reading the contents swiftly.

"Very well; please tell her that I will take care of it as soon as I finish escorting my companion to the nearest city." She replied as she finished reading the letter, handing it back to the man.

"The Princess has asked that I escort her servant back to the Castle in your place, so that you may take care of the bandits immediately." The messenger said curtly.

"Yes, I read that in your letter," Luka replied. "However, I'm – "

"No; I'm going to help." Len said, cutting the two off suddenly after keeping quiet for so long. "And, please tell the Princess that we have no need for extra soldiers."

At this he drew his sword, the faint hiss of steel echoing alongside his words, dripping with so much venom that neither Luka nor the messenger dare reply. There, he held the blade in front of his face, the shadows of the trees lining the path illuminating another side of the boy's personality as he spoke with finality.

"We will take care of them, personally."

* * *

**Now we're getting somewhere! (Like, FINALLY!)**

**Ok, first question on my mind: Who here actually READS the stuff I write down here? Or am I just spilling my thoughts for no reason whatsoever? (Well, what I'm asking is: Would you like me to keep posting A/Ns here or stop altogether?)**

**Well, in any case, what do you think of Kaito here? He won't be getting much screentime at all from what I'm calculating, so I want to try and establish his character ASAP, so I'm curious as to what you as the reader thought of him. And what about Haku? Does anyone else here think she's becoming more and more like a third wheel?**

**In any case, THANK YOU SOOOO much to everyone who reviewed. Even after 9 months or so of complete inactivity, its really moving to know that there are still so many people that are willing to wait for my dead muse to revive itself (which it still does now and then).**

**11/09/2011**

**p.s. SECOND ANIVERSARY PEOPLE! :D**


	21. Hear no Evil

**...Hear no Evil...**

**Chapter XXI**

_Written by Shyion_

* * *

All was silent in the forest. A silence of the likes that would precede a storm.

Within a thick forest, stood a ragtag group of huts and tents, hastily set up within the forest next to a clearing. Enough to house a group of at least 30 men, the signs of habitation were obvious. Yet even so, the camp lacked the usual sounds that would accompany it. Instead, the shouts of men, the clatter of plates and swords could be heard, alarm clearly spreading throughout the camp.

The boy stood stock still, his blonde locks of hair drifting down slowly, caressing his cold face as the wind blew, its silent whisper the only noise audible to him within the arena that was the forest as the two sides stood, staring at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

He flexed his hands briefly, hovering next to the hilts of the longswords by his side, his body relaxed as he allowed the tension to flow out, slowly closing his eyes, listening to the rustle of the wind, and the shuffle of feet of the men before him.

Seeing what appeared to be a lax in his guard, the men sprung forward as a unit, their swords outdrawn, glinting in the light as the crunch of the dried leaves on the ground signalled their approach.

Just as the distance closed to barely a few feet between the two sides, the boy's eyes shot open in an instant, his swords out of their scabbards in the next as he spun, the sword in his right hand swinging forward like the spring of a catapult, the force of the attack slicing deep into one man's torso, under a sword held up for a downward chop.

Gasping in surprise, the boy's second attack lashed out in the blink of an eye, the embedded sword leaving as its partner went in on the opposite side in an instant as the burning pain coursed through his body like a poison.

Screaming, he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his profusely bleeding wounds as the boy twirled around his body to meet the remaining two men standing against him.

His twirl brought the sword in his right hand clashing into, and interrupting, an chop by an enemy. As the two swords locked into each other, their eyes also locked, their fierce gazes threatening death to the other who dares drop his guard. After a brief moment, the boy noticed a sudden, very brief shift in the man's eyes, and took the opportunity.

Shifting the position of his sword, he let his enemy's blade slide down and off the piece of metal into the ground. Taken off guard, the man followed quickly, the imbalance of his force pushing him forward into the ground. And just as his breath was knocked out by the impact, was another impact of steel upon steel heard throughout the clearing.

And there, standing right above the fallen man, was the boy, his sword crossed with another man.

Too dazed to react quickly enough, the few moments the fallen man had to attack the boy's feet passed by in a flash. The boy stepped quickly, manoeuvring his sword so his new opponent lost his balance, and in that brief instant as he fell over, the boy's two swords were brought down straight into the man's back, chopping through the thin leather armour.

The boy's previous opponent had by now realised his predicament, and managed to roll out of the way of his comrade's body before it crushed him. But by the time he managed to get back on his feet, the boy was already upon him with a fury, what meagre defences he could bring up in time was shredded like paper, and soon he found himself run through, the hilt of a blade up to the man's stomach.

Pulling out the sword, the man toppled over, the boy catching a glimpse of another enemy running towards him, again sword at the ready. And so in reply, using the man's corpse, he vaulted over, aiming straight at the newcomer.

The boy brought up both his feet to smash squarely in the man's chest, knocking him over and taking the wind out of him instantly as he collapsed backwards. The boy vaulted backwards, landing crouched down on his knees as his opponent smacked the floor with a dull thud.

Not wasting any time, the boy quickly leaped up and towards his fallen enemy, attempting to plunge his sword into him. But reacting quickly enough, the fallen man rolled to the side, avoiding the boy's blades as he stood up, one hand clutching his chest as he held is sword ready.

"You brat!" He shouted, spitting to the side before he charged forward again, two more men leaping forward to join him.

The boy quickly leapt backwards, dodging the first man's blow before sidestepping another chop, his eyes deadly calm as he watched their movements, his feet and body dodging their attacks quickly.

Finally, after several more of their attacks, the boy ducked under one man's slice, leaping up at the last moment to run him through his stomach, his friends unable to help due to the obstruction.

The man was tossed off the boy's sword, collapsing on the ground screaming as he held his stomach in pain, as the boy again his merciless onslaught.

Parrying another attack, the boy's swords twirled in his hands as he weaved his way through the remaining men's attacks, drawing close enough to smash his hilt up into another man's chin.

Grunting, the man fell backwards as the boy lashed out, his free sword stabbing the remaining man through his dominant shoulder.

As the men collapsed, he stepped forwards gracefully as his swords spun once within his hands as he stabbed downwards with full force, both swords quickly stabbing the men's hearts effortlessly, killing them in an instant.

The boy spun, allowing some of the blood to spray around him in a circle, his swords out at the ready as more men crowded around him in a crescent, their weapons held at the ready as they observed the situation.

Relaxing his muscles, the boy allowed his swords to drop as adrenaline primed his muscles for another round of attacks.

Yet surprisingly, none were forthcoming, the men standing opposite, watching him carefully, their feet shuffling uncomfortably.

Then, out of the corner of his vision, he saw a glint of metal speeding towards him.

By instinct and reflex, he lashed out with his sword at the target, the flat of the blade slapping the arrow away from his body in time with a clang of metal. Taking the initiative, he quickly ran forward to attack the men in front of him, just as arrows whizzed by his former position.

* * *

"Damn, that brat's good." A man cursed in the forest, bow and arrow ready.

"Yeah, but he won't be running around for too long if we keep on doing this." Another replied, grinning.

"Ya got that right mate." A third said from the shadows, drawing his bow.

"Alright then, on my mark…" The first man said, aiming his bow. "Get set…"

"Fire." A foreign voice from the shadows completed the sentence, just as three knives whizzed from the trees.

Each knife flew home, the blades sinking deep into each man's biceps, their grip on the bow lost and their target escaped.

"Shit!" The third man shouted in pain. "What the hell was that?"

"Capt'n, you a'ight?" The second shouted, addressing his comrade as he turned to look, at the same time wishing he hadn't.

There, his comrade laid lifeless on the ground, his throat cut cleanly.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" The third shouted in surprise as he ran towards them, his left hand clutching the knife that he managed to pull out of his arm.

"How the hell should I know!" The second shouted back, before he screamed again in pain, quickly cutting off as he collapsed forward onto the ground.

"Oy, what – " The remaining man began to ask, just as his answer appeared.

There in the shadows, just behind his lifeless comrade's corpse, crouched a pink-haired woman, her eyes filled with killing intent.

"Shit, Shit, SHIT!" The man cursed over and over, flinging the bloody knife at the woman as he turn to ran, fear coursing through his body like poison.

With minimal effort, the woman caught the dagger aimed at her, before spinning elegantly around, and launching it back at the fleeing man, the blade burying itself into his back like a bloodthirsty tick.

Lurching forward, the man collapsed onto all fours, his face white from fear and blood loss, his wounds pumping blood out as fast as his terrified heart was beating.

He attempted to crawl forwards, to flee, but his strength had already left him, and he knew his killer, was coming closer, her footsteps echoing in the now-seemingly silent forest.

'Bloody hell, I'm dead.' Was all he thought to himself, just as his prediction came true.

With a single stab, Luka plunged a dagger straight into the man's heart, her black cheongsam clean of any blood, her work done with pinpoint efficiency.

"Hey, I heard screaming coming from over there!" A man shouted in the distance.

"Ok, you three better go check it out." Another said. "The rest of us'll help the men deal with the brat."

"Still some more to come then." Luka whispered to herself, before she calmly prepared.

* * *

Jumping forward, he spun his body around, using the momentum and weight of his sword to carry him forward into another enemy, the force smashing through his defences and shattering the man's collarbone in an instant. Pulling his first sword out, he quickly ducked under an incoming blade, then rolling towards the side as he evaded another attack, slashing another man's legs in the process.

By the time he stood up, the first man was already down on the ground, and another crouching in pain, his hamstrings sliced cleanly.

Sidestepping another chop, the boy quickly brought down his sword hilt into the man's shoulder, shattering the bone just as he stabbed again with his remaining sword into the man's side, the area being free of any bones, the blade sliced through cleanly.

Silently he shuffled backwards quickly, pulling the blade out of the man as he crumpled, more arrows whizzing by, their numbers noticeably thinner. Holding the tip of the sword pointing downwards, he let the blood flow off his blade for a moment, before spinning again to smash the sword's blade into the helmet of another enemy coming behind him.

The strike hit the man's temples, the shock immediately disorientating the man long enough for the other sword to come around with full force, slicing into the man's unprotected ribs, his hands busy clutching his head in pain.

Pulling out the sword, the boy quickly stepped backwards, avoiding a few more arrows, before ducking under another lengthwise slice from an enemy behind.

Swivelling on his hand the boy quickly took out the man's legs, his larger enemy falling down with a grunt. Standing up, the boy quickly jabbed his sword down to skewer the man, but his opponent had already rolled to the side, managing to get up and clutching his claymore in his hands at the ready.

"What in hell's name are you, boy?" he shouted as he looked around at his allies.

"Seven retards running around, seven retards around, I came around, smacked them around, six retards now down on the ground." The boy mocked, twisting the song into a very dry insult.

"Argh, you're going to go down for this, you pile of skin!" the man shouted his own insult, enraged beyond control.

Rushing forward, he brought his claymore forward in a diagonal slice. But the large weight of his sword meant his movements were both slow and clumsy, the boy easily dodging the attack as he lashed out with his fist, the sword's hilt still held, cracking into the side of the man's head.

The force of the attack was enough to bring the unbalanced man down onto the ground, his claymore released from his grip as one hand clutched the impacted spot.

Stepping backwards to create some distance, the boy stood watching his downed enemy writhing in pain, just before the man lashed out with a hidden dagger, the blade flying forward at the boy.

The boy quickly dodged the blade, the blade flying clean by in no small part due to the enemy's disorientation. But as he turned around, he saw that the man had already gotten up and was rushing towards him with gauntleted fists.

In reply, the boy charged forward himself, his swords stretched out behind him, prepared to meet his enemy head on.

But just as the distance closed to a few feet, the man's fist already raised for a smash certain to crush a skull, the boy jabbed one of his swords into the ground in front of him.

Jumping up from the ground and using the blade as an anchor, the boy allowed his feet to smash right into the man's face. An unexpected attack at the last moment, the man had absolutely no defence prepared, the boy's boot connecting squarely as a crack could be heard, the man's head jolting backwards as he fell, the boy landing quickly soon after as he shook his sword quickly out of the ground.

Stepping forwards, the boy looked calmly at the man, his nose bleeding profusely as he lay panting on the ground, his energy all spent.

Slowly the boy's blade drew up, the point just above the man's neck, hidden by his black, unkempt beard.

"Why, do, you, do, this?" he muttered through his wheezing. "You should know what kind of shit that bitchy Princess has put us through!" He shouted after a brief pause, spittle flying from the man's mouth, yet his body remained as still as possible, the sword still dangling right above his neck.

"Your Princess' taxes are crippling all of us!" he continued. "We have to sell all of our food just to earn enough money to pay the taxes and leave some money over for us, and by the time we do get the remainder, it's not even enough to buy the food that we had just sold off to the market! Your bullshitting minister and Princess are only crippling this country, you fool! Why! Tell me why in hell's name do you still fight on her side!"

"Because it is in hell's name." The boy replied sarcastically, a dead smile playing across his face.

"…What!" The man exclaimed after a brief, puzzled pause.

Len crouched closer to the man, so that his whispers could be heard clearly.

"Many years ago, a member of the royal family died, as I'm sure you know. The brother of the Princess that you loathe so much, died so many years ago, sent, more likely than not, to hell." He whispered, before pausing.

"Shit…no…way…" The man whispered, blood draining from his face.

"And now, Hell's coughed him up again." He finished, a lifeless grin painted on his face.

"You are not human…" The man said, his body shaking of its own accord as he tried to crawl backwards, the blade still at his throat, fear rising like a flood.

"Indeed, I must not be." Len said, nonchalantly as he followed.

"Shit, she's not only a bitchy Princess, but she's a witch as well!" He began to shout again, trying to regain his confidence. "She summoned you from hell, DIDN'T SHE!"

"Summoned me from hell?" Len said as he threw his head back, laughing. "Summoned me from hell! HA! The absurdity of such an idea is truly amazing!"

The man was dumbstruck at this, before realising that it was a chance to escape. But just as he tried, the sword was back at his throat, Len's face dangerously close, and dangerously sober.

"No." He commented calmly. "I was just too much for Hell to handle."

"Impossible…" The man muttered.

"Hell threw me back up here, as her personal demon." Len said, raising his sword high. "And for her, I vow once more, I will do anything."

In a flash of light, the blade flew straight and true, the man's head was severed from his neck, his lifeless body thumping heavily backwards onto the ground. The man's aghast face permanently wrought onto a head that rolled, as if fleeing, a little bit into the forest, before stopping dead in the grass.

* * *

Silence reigned in the clearing, the corpses of the slain men lying limply on the grass as the boy stood still over his last enemy, the sounds of shuffling grass behind him audible on purpose.

"Len…" Luka's voice asked, behind him.

"Say nothing, Luka." Len replied curtly, his back still facing her, stone still. "This is my answer. My answer, to my fate." The woman looked at him, silence between them as the idea that she has held in her mind for the past day reared its ugly head, waiting for the boy to confirm it.

"I have decided." The boy spoke finally, breaking the silence, his back still turned to her. "That no matter what happens, my sole purpose is to serve my Princess." He turned to her, his swords at his side, the blood that stained its shining metal already cleared, dripped down to the ground.

"Thank you, Luka, for taking me to the Country of Green. Without that, I doubt that I'd be able to realise it myself. That fate, and destiny, will not allow me rest, and will not allow me happiness, unless I serve my Princess wholeheartedly."

'Ah, I see now…So it is true then.' Luka thought to herself, her theory proven true by his words, ambiguous though they may be.

'The Prince of Blue, Kaito…Has proposed to Miku. Len: You realise it too then, what this means for you, what this means for her, your love for her, and what this means for your sister.'

'For if she does not lose her attachment to him, Miku will die.'

They both knew, and they both kept silent, knowing that the other would know themselves, soon enough.

'I must forget about her.' He thought to himself in silence, as he turned to stare at the head of his slain enemy, so far away. ' I'm sorry, Miku, but I must forget, and remember about only one thing: My Princess' happiness.'

And yet, in the depths of his mind, isolated from the chaos outside his mind, strange, soothing music played alongside a breath taking scene. A scene just on the outside of his mind's vision, a scene of a beautiful teal-haired dancer, dancing, dancing, dancing…

Dancing endlessly, a constantly replaying video that he was unsure whether he could erase from his mind no matter what he did.

* * *

**Ok...I admit, this chapter ended up being slightly pointless (Well, that's my own opinion). It started out as being a bit of Len's character development, but I think I may have lost that idea somewhere...****Well, I assume you all enjoy a bit of hack n' slash action here and there...But yes, Dark Len is Dark (or should I say Psycho? Then again fans would hate me for that so let's stick with Dark...Much more mysterious and appealing for some people).**

**And yes, once again thanks to everyone who reviewed. I swear, those things are like a drug for me; it gets me high. And when I'm high, I end up writing some crazy stuff which more often than not appeals to people, so the more the merrier for everybody! :D (yes, I decided to keep spilling my thoughts for those of you who like to pick at my brain's leftovers XD)**

**My muse's decided to commit seppuku recently, after writing up some random bits later down the storyline (so no use here...crazy thing OTL). But I'll try and get something up for my dear readers in about 3 weeks or so. Or would you prefer that to be 2 weeks? (Then again I probably know the answer...)**

**05/11/2011**

**p.s. If I waited a week on Friday it'd be 11/11/2011, but I'm sure I'd be the only one that'd appreciate such a timestamp on the story...And no, I CAN'T pump out a chapter by then: See above.**


	22. Speak no Evil, about my Princess

**..Speak no Evil, about my Princess**

_No matter what anyone else thinks..._

**Chapter XXII**

_Written by Shyion._

* * *

"Has the Princess arrived yet?" Luka asked as a servant took the reigns of her horse.

"Not yet, milady." The man said, bowing his head slightly. "She is due to arrive tomorrow morn."

"I see…" She said thoughtfully. "Please have quarters prepared for her personal valet." She said, gesturing to the blond boy as he approached them, his horse already placed in the stables.

"And for you, milady?" The man asked as he looked up at her.

"I have some other business to attend to later on in the day." She replied, matching his gaze. "I just need an hour or two to freshen up; please have a new horse prepared for me by then." She patted the mare's side as if to say thanks for its service.

"So it shall be then, milady." He replied, bowing again before taking the horse away.

"You're going already?" Len asked as he watched the man leave.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things that needs to be prepared." She said, looking at him. "You remember this place, don't you?"

The crash of the ocean waves could be heard here as the call of seagulls rang alongside it. The edge of a cliff sat not far away from where they were, it's very low height making the white spray of seawater visible upon each impact. And standing with its back towards it, stood a large brick mansion looking down at the two, the warm glow within its windows welcoming them.

"The beach manor, isn't it?" Len said, smiling as he took the time to look around the place finally, trying to refresh his memory.

"Mmhm." Luka said, smiling at him. "You came here very often with the Princess, back when you were still children…" she drifted off as she finished, smiling at her own memories of the place.

"Sadly, I don't think my memory of the occasion has fully returned." The blond said, chuckling. "If memories from so long ago could still be lurking somewhere in my brain."

"Well, you might as well take a little walk around the place then." She said, rubbing his head gently. "You may be able to remember a little bit more afterwards. I must be off soon, but the Princess and Minister will be arriving here by tomorrow. Plus, there's always the servants staffing here so you shouldn't be too bored."

"Perhaps I will take a quick walk around then…" Len said, smiling up at her. "Thank you, and take care on your journey."

"Thanks, Len." She smiled at him again, before heading into the building.

"Ah…" He sighed to himself as he was left alone, the wide open field behind him, with a single brown dirt path cutting through the lush green. "Now what should I do…"

The soft sand crunched underneath the boy's feet as he walked along the beach, watching the reflection of the sun across the water, stretching out to him.

'This really is a nice place…' He thought to himself, smiling as he walked, his eyes half-closed as he thought to himself.

It has been a day since he had arrived at the manor; today he was taking a quick walk around the beach that surrounded the base of the cliff before his sister, the Princess, and her Minister, arrived.

'Even so…I still feel like there's something I'm missing here…' He thought to himself as he opened his eyes fully, looking around the area properly. 'Like water; I just can't get a firm hold of it…wait, what's that?'

In the distance, lying down on the golden sand the boy saw a glimmer of glass within the afternoon sun's rays.

Quickly he strode up to the object, scooping it up with his hand as he wiped away some of the wet sand clinging onto its smooth surface.

'A glass bottle…?' He thought to himself as he examined it.

Perfectly intact, the boy studied the bottle carefully, its cork cap still firmly in place, albeit a bit damp. Within it was a single roll of paper, soaked with a little bit of water that was collecting on one side of the bottle.

'What is this, I wonder…someone's litter, or some kind of message in a bottle?' He smiled at himself as he quickly pulled the cork cap off the bottle, inverting it to allow the water to escape before carefully drawing out the piece of paper.

"I wish, for a long time with…" He read out aloud what was written as he unfolded the paper, before looking accusingly at the large stain of water that had destroyed the rest of the words, black ink all that remained of it.

"Hmm…" He murmured to himself as he stared at the half-destroyed message held in one hand, the bottle in the other. "Some form of wish…but why does it seem so familiar…" He rubbed his chin for a while with the bottle as he puzzled over the message for a while longer, before he felt something on his face.

Quickly he moved to rub it off, but as his hand pressed on his cheek, he felt water trickling down.

'What's this…?' He thought to himself as his mind suddenly switched to this new development. 'Water? Tears?' He continued questioning as he felt a few more coming down his cheek from his eyes, confirming his question.

"Oh no…" He whispered after a brief moment, blinking in realisation. He felt the bottle slide from his hands, landing with a dull crunch on the sand as he stumbled backwards a little inland. "Oh dear…"

He felt his body tumble backwards, landing onto the sand in a daze as he stared at the blue sky above him. As if shying away, he covered his face with his free hand, lying in silence for a few moments as his mind began to blank out, images from the abyss returning to him.

"Damn, now I remember." Was all he could mutter, before he ceased to think clearly.

* * *

The sun shone brilliantly upon the wooden porch, seagulls flying about the cliff's edge that laid before them several metres away.

Upon the porch lay two young children, their eyes glued carefully to two individual strips of paper, their hands busy writing down words carefully.

"Hey, lemme see what you wrote!" A young girl's voice could be heard amidst the smooth crashing of the waves. She turned over to her partner, her hand reaching out towards his sheet of paper.

"Nuh uh!" Cried another, a young boy this time, his hands jerking the paper he was using away from the girl. "Nobody else can look at it or else it won't work!"

"Aww, says who?" The girl asked, pouting at him.

"Said the villager I learned this from." The boy replied, his face beaming as one hand reached out to ruffle the girl's hair. "Come on, hurry up, the tide's receding, and we won't have another shot at this until next year when we come back."

"Yeah, we're leaving tomorrow, aren't we…?" The girl replied, looking down at her message again. "You all done?"

"Yeah, was done a while ago." He replied, standing up as he collected his paper, rolling it up carefully. "It was quite easy for me to think of my wish. How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm done too." The girl replied, standing up as well, holding her piece of paper tightly in her hands."

"Okay; I got some milk bottles from the maids this morning; she already washed out the milk for us so we can use them right away." He turned around to scurry back into the mansion, quickly returning carrying two small empty bottles with the cork still plugged in. "Here, you take this one."

He gave her the bottle he held in his right hand, before uncorking the remaining bottle he had and carefully placing the sheet of paper into the bottle, replacing the cork it afterwards.

"Alright, you ready?" The boy asked her as he watched her finish replacing the cork on her own bottle.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She replied as she looked at him, before they both nodded in confirmation. The boy took the girl's hand gently, and they both began running down the stairs of the porch.

Down the dirt path of the cliff the two young children went, their hands clutched together tightly as they clutched the bottles holding their pieces of paper.

Down the sandy beach the two children ran, the crunching of sand beneath their feet barely audible beneath the gentle waves of the sea, playing freely with the shore, and with the face of the cliff. The only face, to witness the two children on the beach.

The two came to a stop at the water's edge, the white foam licking at their feet gently, their hands still clasped together as their breathing slowed, their eyes soaking up the view of the great ocean before them.

"Local legend has it…" Len began speaking above the crash of the waves, "That if you placed a paper, with your wish in a bottle…"

"And if it can set sail off into sea, then the wish would come true." Rin finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah, we heard the villagers say that when we came here three days ago, but didn't have time to do it until now eh…"

"Mmhm." The girl turned her head to him, releasing their hands. "So, lets do it then."

"Yep!" The boy replied jubilantly, raising his bottle high as the girl followed suit. "On three…"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" The two shouted finally together, before they both tossed the bottles as far as they could go out into the deep blue sea.

The bottles disappeared with a loud splash into the sea, disappearing from view as the two children watched intently. As they waited for it to surface, their worries grew that that their wishes would sink unknown into the abyss, like the two bottles they had just sent out.

But quickly, those worries were buried as the two saw the glints of light against glass appear in the ocean: Their two bottles had finally resurfaced, and were now slowly floating out to sea.

The two watched the bottles together in silence, before the boy closed his eyes, clasping his hands together as he brought them to his mouth, praying in silence, repeating his wish.

The girl, noticing this, turned to him, watching him for a few moments, before she too did the same, a small smile playing on her mouth as they both prayed and repeated their wishes, faintly audible beneath the crashing and lolling of the waves:

"I wish…"

"For a long time with Len."

"For Rin to be happy, forever."

* * *

"Could it be…" The boy muttered to himself as he brought the piece of paper before his face, shielding it from the sun with the stained, unreadable paper. "Is it possible…?" His fingers, agonizingly slowly, moved over the letters of the words on the paper, feeling out the groove left by the pen that had written them.

"I wish, for a long time…" He muttered to himself, closing his eyes as his fingers read the words out again, before sensing the final word that had been destroyed by the seawater that had gotten in.

"It is…" He muttered to himself, smiling even as tears fell from his closed eyes. "I remember now. I'm sorry, Rin. I broke your wish. But I remember now."

"I remember everything now."

"Remember what?" A voice asked him from behind.

"I remember what happened here at this mansion, so many years ago, Gakupo." The boy replied, sitting up and turning around unashamedly as his tears flew down, a genuine smile still placed on his face.

"I see." The purple-haired man chuckled briefly, his back leaned to a tree as he closed his eyes, his mouth bent into a smile, which quickly turned around.

"I heard from Luka about what you saw in the Country of Green, Len." The man said, standing up straight as he walked towards the sitting boy. "I hope you understand what this means."

"Yes, I do." The boy said, standing up to meet him. "And I will say now; her wish is my will that I will act upon with full haste. I have made that clear with the bandits that you had asked Luka to deal with when we returned."

"Good then, good." The man said, smiling slightly again as he watched the boy. "Now, the Princess is waiting for you back at the mansion. I'm sure she will congratulate you on that too."

"Alright; I'll get going." Len said in reply, before drying his remaining tears and walking back up the cliff.

'You say this now…' Gakupo thought to himself as he watched the boy go, before turning around to the sea. 'But if it all comes down to the worst-case scenario; will you be able to, I wonder?' He spared but a few more moments, before turning around and walking back up the cliff, the crunch of sand under his shoes now clearly audible against the soft loll of the sea.

The boy stood up, stretching his back as he stared up into the sky, his trousers rolled up until his knees as he stood, bare-foot and ankle-deep in water.

Dressed in a white undershirt and black trousers, a yellow waistcoat matching his blond hair and contrasting with the black jabot collar he had tied around his throat. His face was content, a gentle smile played out on his face as he thought to himself, his regained memory, and the bottle at the beach that jogged it four days ago.

"Honestly." He heard a feminine voice from behind him. "Doing it every day since I got here…You really are, both diligent and childish, Len." He turned around to see who it was.

"My Princess." He said in reply, smiling as he saw her there, standing on the beach watching him carefully.

She in turn was dressed in a stunning, sleeveless yellow dress reaching down to her ankles, black trimming lining the edges linking black roses interspaced at regular intervals. Behind her back was a large black bow, accompanied by a black bodice that contrasted sharply with the yellow dress she wore, black opera gloves reaching up to her biceps completing her image.

"There's really no way that trick can make wishes come true, Len." She said as she walked towards him, standing just out of reach of the water's edge, a few paces away from him. "We learned that back when we were kids..."

"Even so, its nostalgic, isn't it?" Len replied, brushing off her gentle chiding as he turned to watch his bottle floating away on the waves of the ocean, smiling all the way. "It reminds me of what I had forgotten, so I will never forget it again."

"I see…" The Princess replied, watching the bottle along with her brother.

"Would my Princess like to try it herself?" The boy said, turning back to her after a few more moments of silence. "For old times sake, if nothing else." He then began walking back up the beach towards her.

"Something so stupid and childish like that…" She crossed her arms and turned away from him as he came to her side, turning around to look at the ocean again. "Really now, I have no need to even think about doing it to make my wishes come true."

Len smiled at this, turning his head towards her even as a small hint of sadness could be seen filtering slowly into his eyes.

"After all…" Rin began again after a few more moments, turning back to the boy, her hands now crossed behind her back as she beamed at him happily. "Any wish that I want would be granted by you, wouldn't it, Len?"

The boy was shocked at her sudden twist of attitude, his eyes widening in surprise as he was lost for words for a short while. But soon, his shock evaporated as he smiled, chuckling gently at her almost childish belief in him, reminiscing about his recently returned memory, hoping for the best.

"But anyway; what are you wishing for so earnestly everyday anyway?" Rin suddenly asked as she turned back to the sea, watching the bottle float away into the distance.

"Oh, that's an easy one." He said, chuckling as he looked at her. "I wish for my Princess' breasts to grow as big as possible to attract suitors!"

"Wha–?" Rin spun back to him in an instant, shock written all over her face as in the next instant Len felt both his cheeks being pinched and pulled apart.

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Len said through the pain and his distorted mouth, even though he kept laughing all the way through from beginning until now, both at his joke and at the resulting response from his sister.

"Then, what is it?" The girl snapped at him, pouting as she folded her arms back in front of her chest, as if to hide it from her brother's jibe.

"I'm sorry, my Princess." He said again after his laughter died down.

"My wish is but a simple one every servant wishes for; for the happiness of his mistress." He turned to her, smiling as he did so, Rin's previous annoyance quickly evaporating as she heard her brother's words.

"Then, if that's the case…" She stepped up to his side and turned to the ocean, watching the sea, the bottle no longer in view as her brother did the same. "Then always stay by my side, Len." The boy's face turned towards her, his face slightly inquisitive as he waited for her next words.

"Because…" She began again after a few moments of listening to the wave's silent slosh, "Because, the times when Len is next to me, is when I'm happiest!"

Now, Len was truly lost for words, all his body capable of doing was watching his sister's contentedly smiling face beside him, watching the ocean. Soon though, his body followed suit, turning to watch the ocean as an identical face washed over his own.

"Really…"He whispered softly as the two stood there together, watching the ocean. "Then that makes me happy too then."

As they stood there in silence, the slosh of the waves slowly reaching up and licking at their feet on the beaches, it was hard for the purple haired man watching them from up the beach, to separate the view that lay before him, with the view that he saw so many years ago.

But even so, he didn't waste much time before he called out to the two.

"My Princess; it is ready for you now."

"Yes, Minister, I'm coming." The girl replied, turning around to the man. "I am coming. Well then, Len?" She held out her hand to her servant, who was quickly putting on shoes and white gloves, almost completing his attire.

"Yes, my Princess." The boy said finally, taking her hand as he led her slowly up the beach.

"I've been waiting for a while for this." Rin said as she walked up the beach gracefully, the two reaching the mansion's door as a servant opened it, Gakupo waiting inside to lead them onwards.

"I was surprised when you told me you had arranged for this, my Princess." Len replied as he released her hand, letting her go in first as he followed suit behind her, collecting a pure-black coat with golden trimmings from another servant that stood to the side, putting it on.

"Well, just say it's a reward from a Princess to her most loyal servant then." She replied as they were led by the purple-haired man into a mostly bare room. "Especially after you dealt with those bandits so swiftly, this is perhaps the least I could do."

"Then, I humbly accept." He said simply with a smile, before leading her forward into the single cushioned chair that adorned the room, seating her down first before standing behind her to her right, facing the elderly man before them, a painting easel set up between them.

"You may begin now." Len said with authority as the two sat and stood still, the man began painting as the gentle slosh of the ocean mingling with the calling of seagulls that drifted in through the single window in the bare wooden room.

* * *

**Chapter 22! :D**

**Again, I don't really know about this chapter...I feel that the entire 'aura' about it just isn't correct, but I don't know where about it is it not correct...Well, that may just be me, but what do you think, as the reader? To all those who did review last time, thanks so much for that, and I'm really sorry about the late thank-yous! (see below). For those who didn't, please drop a review, I really wanna know what's in YOUR head too you know! (Those who reviewed last time are of course more than welcome to review this time too :D)**

**On that note, I'll also have to add that I'm going for a 2 month break from posting anything new (again, but this time it's planned ok!). Things have been getting more and more busy recently, my muse needs time to recuperate, and my experience trying to post chapters so close to christmas/new year still gives me nightmares...This also gives me time to stockpile chapters again over the holidays that I can write up.**

**You can probably expect the next chapter about the end of January, or somewhere about there. Wait for me please!**

**25/11/2011**


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